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A.P.I Review:	AYRTON SENNAS KART DUAL 2
Developer:	SunSoft	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	Infogrames	1-2 Player
Game Type:	Racing	Memory Card
Availability:	Out Now	Standard Joypad

Rapid Review

Another racing game makes it debut on the PlayStation, but this 
time its not cars, bikes or even boats that are the subject. Instead 
Sunsoft have opted to cover the motorsport that has been the starting 
point for so many of the worlds great racing drivers - Karting!

The combination of the speed at which the bigger Karts can travel and 
the fact that your backside is only inches from the floor, make this 
one of the most exciting and adrenaline pumping sports that is currently 
available for those of us who have dreamt of becoming a professional 
Formula 1 or Indycar racing driver.

The races within the game are located at five real Japanese tracks 
and 3 specially created courses. Some of them are indoor, some outdoor, 
while others are a mixture of the two. You will start with the slowest 
of the four classes of Kart and need to finish in the top 3 on each of 
the initial tracks, before faster Karts and additional venues are 
unlocked.

You can either race against the clock, or the seven other computer 
controlled racers in the Grand Prix mode. Better still, plug in another 
joypad and compete against a friend in the split-screen option.

Although this is an outright Arcade style racer, you still have 
been given the option of adjusting the settings of your machine by 
altering the seat position (for rear grip), the tyre tread (for 
steering sensitivity) and the gearing (for acceleration).

Three levels of difficulty are included: Easy, Normal and Hard. 
The analog pad is not supported, however the game performs well 
enough with the normal digital joypad. Unlike most racers, there 
is no rear view - so you will have to concentrate on overtaking 
those in front of you rather than defending your position from 
those lurking behind.

Finally, once you have finished racing for the day you can settle 
down in front of the T.V and watch a couple of short interviews 
with Mr Senna, or check out the photo gallery. If you are 
interested in knowing more about the construction of your Kart, 
then their is a database within the game that allows you to 
familiarize yourself with each individual component!

Comment

There is little doubting that Ayrton Senna was an amazing 
racing driver. So great were his achievements that only a game 
of the quality of Gran Turismo would truly justify the use of 
his name. Unfortunately Kart Dual 2 is not such a game. While 
there are more options available to fine tune your kart than 
seen on pervious games of this type, the actual racing would 
probably only appeal to younger gamers who find the vehicles 
used in Formula 1, V-Rally, TOCA and Gran Turismo far too 
difficult to control.