Introduction: There's no question that there are fewer GBA titles being released now due to the phenomenal success of the DS and while major releases are still produced for both formats, original titles are almost non-existent. It's perfect timing then for new European developer Liquid Games who aim to bring new and unreleased titles to the games hungry GBA audience. Better still they're all at a budget price making an impulse purchase all the more likely. GT Racer is in the first batch of five and while we've become accustomed to 3D racers on the GBA, GT Racer has instead gone for the 'top-down' approach. This has worked for the Micro Machines series for years and also for the surprise hit Karnaaj Rally, but will it work here?

GamePlay: As with all racers these days GT Racer allows you to immerse yourself in the action in a number of different ways. The first of these is the Single Race which is the 'pick up and play' part of the game. This pits you against three other cars over five laps although you can select which track you wish to race on, as long as it's been unlocked of course. The Championship Mode is very similar with the main difference being that you'll be awarded points at the end of each race depending on your finishing position. Once you've completed all the races in the section (and amassed 60 points) you can move on to the next area. Finally there's the Challenge Mode, which allows you to unlock new cars. Disappointingly these all involve simply collecting enough 'boost' symbols to fill the meter in the top right hand corner of the screen but while you are the only car on the track you're also against a timer.

Control: Possibly one of the best aspects of the game is the car's physics, which have just enough 'slide' to be believable and, what's more important, controllable. This is until you attempt to pass a car which is almost impossible without first obtaining a full boost meter. The collision detection is also a little unfair as while you expect to stop dead if you crash into an object the same cannot be said when you brush past a house or wall. To make matters worse there's no reverse so if you're attempting to escape from a tight spot as other racers fly past, catching up to them is quite a challenge. It's a good effort but it can be very frustrating.

Graphics: The graphics in GT Racer have budget written all over them and while the gaming engine tries to pull off some 3D elements the camera is simply too close to the action for it to be appreciated. The real problem is with the actual artwork and sprites, which are reminiscent of a first time shareware release and far from pretty. It's a real oversight too because a title of this simplicity is begging for something to stimulate the gamer visually and this misses the mark at every opportunity.

Sound & Music: While there's a variety of music tracks here they generally uninspiring and muddy in quality and you'll do far better if you simply turn them off via the options menu. This allows the (slightly better) sound effects to shine through although we still can't work out what that announcer is saying.

Final Comments: Given the price point of GT Racer we were never expecting it to end up in our top ten GBA racers chart but surprisingly it's a lot better than we had anticipated. It's not the production values (which are well below average) but the actual gameplay, which is reasonably enjoyable in short, bursts. Just as it was all going so well though the developers opted for a pass code system to save your progress. To make matters worse it's not one of those snappy four digit ones but one that simply has to be written down. The absence of a battery back-up may be a result of the budget price but there really are better ways to make this feature a little more user friendly. Let's just assume time was against them. You could probably use the same excuse for the whole package really and while you have to admire its entry into the great GBA race, it's never going to win any awards.

Pro: It's Cheap.
Con: Budget Visuals, Muddy Music and Long Pass codes.
Final Score: 4.1

Reviewed by: Andrew Blanchard