TrackMania Review - PC

Gameplay

The modes in TrackMania are divided according to their relevance to either racing or puzzle. Races are played out in more of a rally form; there are no other cars on the track, it's just you against the clock. Before the race you can view the track from the track building view but you can't edit it in any way; it's just there so that you can get a quick rundown before beginning. At the end of the race you're awarded either the bronze, silver or gold medal - that is, if you pass the required time. After acquiring any of the three medals you'll unlock the next race, each featuring tougher turns and a higher difficulty level.

Puzzle challenges present you with the track building view, in which you'll find that the track is only partially constructed. It's your job to complete the track using the various wacky corner, ramp and straight pieces available to you. The twist is, you often have to build the track so that it passes through all of the checkpoints and connects to the finish line, and you only get a certain amount of pieces to do so. During puzzle challenges you're also able to test the track by pressing Enter, causing the view to switch into the racing view so that you can drive around freely and check that your track meets all of the checkpoints. The puzzle mode is fun for a while, but soon loses appeal as the race mode is more enjoyable. As with the race mode, completing a puzzle successfully unlocks the next puzzle challenge, each one increasing in complexity.

While building a track in TrackMania you're given a clear view of your playing field from a birds-eye view, with the terrain covered in grids for easy placement of track pieces. From this view you're able to select pieces, rotate the camera, move the cursor and more via a tidy menu on the left and keyboard shortcuts. The tracks in TrackMania seem to give the game its name; they're quite crazy in design, often floating up on multiple levels with twisted ramps and looped straights. You'll even come across turbo booster pads that give your car a huge burst of speed, which can often mean trouble if there's a number of corners up ahead. The track building modes really do allow you to create some crazy concoctions!

As you progress through the game you'll find that you earn 'Coppers', which are coins used as currency in TrackMania. Using these coins you'll be able to purchase new and more exciting track pieces from the store that is accessed from the main menu, allowing you to build more (continued next page)