December 15, 1999
Web posted at: 12:23 p.m. EST (1723 GMT)

By John Robinson
CNN Interactive Senior Associate Editor

(CNN) -- The object of a rally stage race is to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. This form of rally racing is hugely popular in Europe and very accessible to fans because the events are held on ordinary roads that have been closed to traffic.

Adding to the appeal, spectators are allowed to watch the race from just about anywhere on the course and many of cars are based on stock vehicles.

Sega attempts to capture the thrill of this type of rally racing with "Sega Rally 2" for the Dreamcast game console. Even though "Sega Rally 2" is similar to the popular arcade version, the home game has been enhanced with a number of extra tracks and cars. Drivers can choose from up to 19 different cars and race them on 16 different courses.

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Three modes of play are available with the 10-year Championship as the main focus of the game. Arcade and timed modes are also available and a good place to hone your skills before attempting to start a 10-year Championship.

Arcade and Championship modes are similar in how they progress, requiring drivers to reach checkpoints along the course in a pre-determined amount of time. If you don't reach a checkpoint before the time runs out, the game is over. You'll have to pass several stages in order to complete each year of a Championship or for each difficulty level in the Arcade mode.

Unfortunately, you can't continue if you fail to complete a section in time. Starting over every time you lose can be repetitive and annoying when trying to complete a given level. On the other hand, the inability to continue does keep you from finishing the game too quickly.

The courses of "Sega Rally 2" offer lots of different terrain to conquer and may contain sections consisting of gravel, sand, snow or concrete. Driving on each of the surfaces causes your car to react differently and will test your skills as you struggle to keep the car on course. Sliding off the course, as expected, results in hitting wall or a fence as well as a huge loss in speed.

In addition to learning the courses, you will also have to learn how to drive the cars. Each of the cars has a different feel so it is a good idea to find one you like and stick with it. Almost all of the cars place a heavy emphasis on oversteering and you'll have to learn how to control the car as it snakes around the corners. Tinkerers will be pleased to know that you can adjust the car's handling characteristics in Time Attack and Championship modes.

The visuals in "Sega Rally 2" place a lot of emphasis on the car models and the track surface. The game has some flaws with noticeable slowdown in some of the corners and some grainy looking backgrounds. Even so, you will probably forget about either of these things after a few hours of playing.

Be warned that this game gets difficult very quickly and may be a little frustrating for the casual racing fan. If you are looking for a lighthearted, arcade-style driving game, you might be better served by something like UbiSoft's "Speed Devils".

With that word of warning out of the way it is safe to say that racing fanatics are sure to be pleased with "Sega Rally 2". The graphics are not perfect but it does offer nearly unlimited replay value as you race lap after lap against the clock. As far as Dreamcast racing games go, "Sega Rally 2" is undeniably the best there is for now.

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