Outcast, PC CD-Rom, £39.99
For a game which aspires to being a benchmark in videogame history Outcast doesn't make a great first impression. This real-time action adventure unashamedly suggests that the main character is the male equivalent of Tomb Raider's Lara Croft.
The character is Cutter Slade, a US Navy SEAL commander, whose parents taught him tolerance, respect for the weak, justice and so on. Hardly original, then.
It is the year 2007 and the US government deploys a probe designed to prove the existence of a parallel universe. Minutes into the mission an alien damages the probe, creating an unforeseen backlash of energy, forming a black hole and threatening the existence of earth.
Cutter, who is sent to recover the probe and the scientists on board, finds himself in the alien world of Adelpha. Greeted by a native Talan, Cutter learns that the Talan have been waiting for his arrival for many moons, and that he has been pre-destined to be their saviour.
More concerned with his probe and the scientists, Cutter is nonetheless persuaded to carry out the tasks asked of him, after agreeing with the Talan that he will alert all eyes and ears on Adelpha to seek out the remains of the probe and its occupants.
So far, nothing very unusual, but Outcast is different from the run of such games. It may resemble Tomb Raider, but the gameplay is subtler and interaction with other characters is the heart of the difference.
The AI of non-playing characters is far better than usual. How you treat them determines how they will treat you. Waving a gun at them, for example, won't endear them to you, but you will then have to learn to use it (plus many other gadgets) against the forces trying to eradicate the Talans.
The wide variety of landscapes and characters Cutter encounters is also impressive and the story doesn't always run as expected. The controls and camera angles take a little getting used to and music by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra adds a lot to the experience.
Outcast is best described as a mixture of Baldur's gate, Little Big Adventure, Tomb Raider and The Elder Scrolls. It might not live up to all its hype, but it goes a long way.
[Recommended: Pentium 300/64MB/Win9X]
Driver, Sony PlayStation, £39.99
Accelerate away, screech through red lights, burst through back-alley debris and turn on to a main road - only to hit oncoming traffic. You've failed to outrun the police again!
For fans of classic 1970s car chase movies, Driver is a dream come true, with the choice of driving a getaway car or being on the right side of the law. The action ranges across Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. The achievement of out-running the cops (or catching the bad guys, of course) is one to relive again and again.
This game's "film director" feature puts cameras almost anywhere, so a chase can be replayed from a multitude of angles. The exhausted player can sit back and watch it like a film.
There are missions to complete, of course, and the main game makes the player an undercover cop taking on crime kingpin Castaldi. A training mode gives lessons on 360-degree spins, handbrake turns and the like.
Driver is by the makers of Destruction Derby, and the intensity of the chase at times makes it feel like Destruction Derby in a city. In some ways it is, but that doesn't take from a game that grabs attention instantly and keeps a driver coming back for more.
Cheats - Driver
Enter the following codes quickly at the main menu. Then go to the in-built "Cheats Menu" to activate them.
Long suspension:
Press R2, L2, R1, R2, L2, L1, R2, R2, L2, L2, L1, R2, R1.
Mini-cars:
Press R1, R2, R1, R2, L1, L2, R1, R2, L1, R1, L2, L2, L2.
No police:
Press L1, L2, R1, R1, R1, R1, L2, L2, R1, R1, L1, L1, R2.
Rear wheel steering:
Press R1, R1, R1, R2, L2, R1, R2, L2, L1, R2, R1, L2, L1.
Invincibility:
Press L2, L2, R2, R2, L2, R2, L2, L1, R2, R1, L2, L1, L1.
View credits:
Press L1, L2, R1, R2, L1, R1, R2, L2, R1, R2, L1, L2, R1.
Upside-down:
Press R2, R2, R1, L2, L1, R2, L2, L1, R2, R2, L2, R2, L1.
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