The Story so Far...

       For those of you who missed this first time around, 'Driver' carefully took the most enjoyable aspects of some of the best selling PlayStation games to make something completely unique.

'Need for Speed' and 'Test Drive' are two brands that all arcade racing fans will know. Both are similar in that they offer an option to become a villain and partake in high speed car chases around their various looped tracks - evading a group of chasing police cars in a high speed motor - great fun, for a while.

'Grand Theft Auto', as the name suggests, involved criminal activities of quite an extreme nature and saw your character deeply involved with the gangland underworld, transporting drugs, fighting with other gangs and running over any pedestrians that got in your way. The cops would also keep an eye on your activities, turning out in force if they though your were stepping over the line. Easily the most innovational feature of GTA was the huge, flat, cartoon-like cities that were featured in the game. It felt like you could drive for ever - over bridges, through public parks, down alleyways and along huge sprawling freeways.

'Driver' managed to pull together these elements into a three dimensional living world full of personality, with a cast of vehicles and pedestrians that went about their daily chores regardless of what you were doing. Cars stopped (and even queued) at the traffic lights, changing lanes to overtake and turning intelligently at intersections. You could spend hours with your vehicle parked by the curb just watching the residents of each city going about their business.

What's the Same...

       Well, you will still play the part of 'Tanner', an undercover cop that has been deeply integrated into the world of some of the most dangerous gangs in both North and South America.

You will still be hired as a getaway driver, liaising with the cops at opportune moments to give them vital feedback, while at the same time being very careful not to break your cover. The local Police will have no idea of your involvement, so don't expect any special treatment - they will be treating you just like the criminal you are pretending to be.

What's New...

       Going back to 'Grand Theft Auto' for a second, the game also allowed you to get out of your car, run around on foot for a while, then hijack another car to continue driving around the city. The developers knew this was the only major feature that was missing from the original 'Driver' game and made sure that it was the very first item on their 'wish list' of things to be incorperated into the sequel.

This basically means that you will now be able to pursue criminals on foot - imagine running down an alley chasing your target, only for him to stop a car in the street, pull out the driver and race off into the distance, leaving you with only seconds to decide which vehicle to commandeer before he escapes.

So now that the game allows you to steal vehicles, it was nice to see that a great deal of thought has been put into selecting a group of very different types of automobiles, that each offer very different advantages if taken in different circumstances.

For example... the emergency vehicles, such as the Fire Engine and Ambulance, both offer the advantage that oncoming traffic will try to get out of your way and you can race through red traffic lights, but have the disadvantage that they attract lots of attention - no good if you are trying to sneak around a city unnoticed.

Vans and Trucks will be available too, offering a nice balance of both speed, stealth and protection.

But what most of us wanted to see was a few more balls to the wall hotrods incorporated into the sequel, and thankfully our prayers have been answered. Sure these babies will be spotted by the cops almost immediately, but they will soon become just a tiny dot in your rear view mirror as you put the pedal to the metal and light up your tires.

More vehicles will be announced soon, but from the early version of the game we played recently, it looks like you will be able to steal a school bus and use it to ram your way effortlessly through police barricades. We may even hear that immortal line from the movie 'Speed'... "There's a Bomb on the Bus" ... he, he, he.

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