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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       9th April 2001: Thames Racer  Remember the intro sequence to the James Bond film 'The World is not Enough?' - now you get to take part in it! Posted by Marc Hull - PC - UK and Europe Ever been to Venice, seen all those luscious waterways and just wanted to drive a speedboat at 100mph down them, destroying every gondola in your path? Well then, Davilex's new racing game is for you! Although called Thames Racer, you get to create havoc along the canal lines of three major cities around the world: London, Venice and Amsterdam. Here you have to compete against five other boats to finish a set of specific courses around each city first. A bit like Metropolis Street Racer on water, Thames Racer's cities are pretty large and courses are made by closing off certain sections. However, the sections aren't fully closed off - there are just checkpoints along them, so you can pretty much choose any route you like giving plenty of opportunities for short-cuts. Another way to beat your rivals is to use the powerups that are scattered about each course. These range from speed boosts to homing missiles, and help to add a kind of Mario-Kart fun factor to the game. The graphics are one of Thames Racer's strong points. The cities are nicely detailed with recognisable landmarks scattered about the place. The water ripples effectively as the speedboats pass over it, and while the lack of true reflections is a bit of a missed opportunity, the 'fake' reflections look pretty cool anyway. There are sections, usually only on the extremes of the game map, where the scenery detail drops to being just 'cardboard cut-outs', but most of the game looks pretty sweet on a modern graphics card. Having said that, the sound in the game is nothing to write home about. There are effects around each course that add to the environment - stuff like chuch bells ringing when you get close to them, or the sound of construction work being performed - but the lack of in-game music is a bit annoying. In terms of gameplay, Thames Racer is a bit of a mixed bag. When all the speedboats are close together at the start, and are all trying to fit down the narrow passages of the Venice course at once then the game's quite exciting. However, when they are more spread out then there's a gap between tackling one boat and the next. The fact that it's quite easy to roll your boat over and get left behind doesn't help this, but by carefully using the speed boost powerups you can catch up reasonably quickly. Overall, for the most part Thames Racer is a pretty fun game. There are sections that could be improved upon, and the lack of music is frustrating, but the whole product is still greater than the sum of its parts and a pretty good diversion. Marc Hull             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  Thames Racer is all about racing speedboats around the waterways of London, Venice and Amsterdam while trying to gain an advantage over your opponents using mines, missiles and various other powerups. For the most part, the game looks nice with quite detailed cities and realistic, rippling water. The gameplay is fun when you're up against lots of rivals, but slows down when you're behind or way ahead. Overall, a good game despite some flaws.  Related Games:  Thames Racer for PC  6  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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