Bill Elliot's Nascar Challenge logo

Programmers: Konami * Publisher: Gametek 0753 553445 * Price £14.99 * Release: out now * AF Rating: 50%

S o what is Nascar then? It stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing and it takes place on short tracks and super speedways across America. And as luck would have it, our Bill is the fastest driver of them all. He once qualified for a race averaging 212 mph - and that is mighty fast.

The drivers have to be adept at racing on the many types of circuit - on both high-banked oval tracks and on flat road tracks.

There are three cars to choose from (a Ford, a Chevy and a Pontiac) and eight different circuits including one at Darlington. Options are plentiful and they include auto and manual gears, and you can even drive 'no damage'.

It is a couple of years old this game and it shows. The graphics are fairly basic although the roar of the engine is splendid.

How does it race? Well, just like a lot of other average racing games but I could not face the 300 laps of some of the tracks - it gets heavy going. The control works well after a bit of practice but on some circuits it can get a bit tedious because it is no easy. Another rather fiddly option is the car tuning section, where you can tweak the motor for the particular circuit you are about to tackle.

I will leave you with a wonderful quote from the box: "A stock car simulation that turns your disk drive into a pit pass to the most authentic racing environment available". Fine.