Interstate 76 PC

Autmotive combat games have historically relied on action elements to deliver their visceral thrills. Games like GameTek's Quarantine and the soon-to-be-released Carmageddon from Sales Curve have followed the precedent set by first-person shooters - make it fast and make it violent. Interstate '76 presents automotive combat as a Pinto of a different color. Combining a great premise with an excellent physics engine, this may be the most realistically exciting vehicular violence since Steve McQueen blazed through the streets of San Francisco as Frank Bullitt.

The game is set in the American southwest, in an alternate 1976 where the fuel shortage is out of control. Vigilantes cruise the tarmac, trying to protect the last gas stations from destruction by power hungry oil companies. The player assumes the role of Groove Champion - a tow-headed ex-racer with one helluva mustache - who becomes a vigilante to avenge his sister's death. Under the tutelage of Taurus - who drives a big sedan, sports a magnificent polygonal 'fro, and acts exactly like Jim Kelly from Enter the Dragon - Groove must single-handedly thwart Antonio Malochio, the dastardly villain behind the terrorist attacks.

The premise is clever, but mostly it just sets the stage for the cosmetic elements - souped-up muscle cars laden with firepower and a soundtrack thick with slap-bass and wah-peddled guitars. The soundtrack is brilliant - recalling alternately the theme from Starsky and Hutch and the danger music from Charlie's Angels (though Groove looks more like a man who would have Black Sabbath blaring from his ride). In fact, the whole package sounds and looks authentic. The environments and vehicles, even on the lowest detail settings, are strikingly realistic. And the dialogue is, for the most part, great - with the one exception being the protagonist's comments during combat, which sound strangely out of place and get a bit repetitive.

Minimum:

 OS: Windows XP SP3

 Processor: 2 GHz Intel Dual Core Processor

 Memory: 2 GB RAM

 Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 8800/ATI Radeon HD 2600 (256MB minimum)

 DirectX «: 9.0c

 Hard Drive: 10 GB HD space

 Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible

Recommended:

 OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista/Windows 7

 Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Quad Core Processor

 Memory: 3 GB RAM

 Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX460/ATI Radeon HD 5850 (512MB minimum)

 DirectX «: 9.0c

 Hard Drive: 10 GB HD space

 Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible