Mix the madness of Destruction Derby and the racing quality of Sega Rally and you can get an idea of the type of game that Runabout is. Here is one scenario sequence that I encountered when driving in my first game of Runabout...Driving in downtown Chinatown, I sped through a red light while a police officer yelled "Stop, Stop". Of course, I ignored him and proceeded to do a squealing 90 degree mojo turn around the corner only to hit a telephone booth and scatter a crowd of people as they shrieked for sanctuary. I then lost control and my car ran over a woman's bike as she ran to the sides for safe haven...After the havoc, I turned the corner for more...

Runabout is essentially a racing game but Yanoman has enhanced it so that a lot of experimentation is in order. You can cause mass destruction just to watch the physics of car crashes and the blow back camera angles and pans as the game tries to accomodate the carnage that you're causing on screen. The first scenario that you'll play is appropriately named Downtown. The incredible thing about the Downtown scenario is the level of detail that is given to the buildings, the signs, the street lights, the people...The first feeling that you will get when driving is one of awe that this is really a city and you're on the loose...

For your first game, you'll want to drive around and swerve through city blocks to get a feel for the game. Along the way, crash into some civilian cars and taxis to get a feel for the dynamics of the game. I drove around for a little bit to get the feeling of exhiliration that comes when you're free to barrel through city streets at 80mph with no fear of consequences or repercussions. When driving through streets at such high speeds, it is easy to lose control but thats the beauty of the game. No harm, no foul except the very visible damage that is inflicted on your poor car.

Every vehicle has a fuel gauge as well as a damage gauge. Incur too much damage and you'll be out of the game. Run out of fuel and you're also out. The other gauge you'll be racing against is the clock. You have roughly 300 seconds in the first scenario to pick up 5 batteries and then head for the goal. A road map that is superimposed on the corner of the screen will show you the roads as they look from overhead and any significant areas that you might want to crash through. In Downtown, there are two public arcades that you can crash your car through. There's a sick sense of satisfaction when you hear the smashing of the glass as your car breaks through the front arcade window and another smashing of glass as you emerge from the other side. Patrons and workers will run for dear life as you make your way through the arcade. People will scream in terror and curse your name as you make your way towards them. Funny, but note that no one dies in Runabout. You can drive a car right through someone and they'll still be shrieking and running about. Oh well.

As mentioned before, your car sustains damage and there are many levels of car disrepair. When the 320 first crashes into a police car, the front hood will fly off. The next hit will dent the front of the vehicle. As your car receives more and more damage, it will look like it's ready for the motor graveyard. At one point, my 320 was in such poor shape that the entire front of the car was gone and the left side was completely caved in. At this stage, billows of black smoke and fiery incandescence lit up the rear of the vehicle. Give Yanoman points for realism.

I drove two types of vehicles in my first couple of games. I tried the Ram, which is a mini-truck with 250HP and awesome torque as it careens and smashes past police cars and taxi cabs. The other vehicle I tried out was the aforementioned 320, which looks like a Toyota Camry. This vehicle was good for maintaining high speed and for making hairpin turns around blocks. The other vehicles in the game did not look too appealing, there is the Min which looks like a flower car from the 60s with no aerodynamic considerations and the Ves which is a scooter. My top choice has to be the ram. It is not as maneuverable as the 320 is but it can crush cars and still barrel along at top speed. When the 320 hits a vehicle head-on, it will bounce back and stop. With the ram, you can crash into something and then continue with little inertia lost and most of your momentum intact. The Ves, or the scooter is an ungainly joke. This vehicle has poor speed, poor handling and should not be used at all, unless you're a glutton for self destruction and punishment.

Players who are not so much into wreaking mass havoc and more into completing the objectives of the level will find that some car crashes are unavoidable. There is one junction in Downtown where two police cars have set up a road block. The only way to get through is to plow right into them. Usually, there is a crowd behind this road block and you'll be greeted with many many shrieks and shouts of "idiot" or "watch where you're going" as you move on. Once you have collected the 5 batteries, you move on into a straight-away road and head towards your final destination.

As you're driving in the stragithway part of the level, you'll have to contend with cars and oncoming traffic. Unlike Cruisin' USA on the Nintendo 64, you can avoid this traffic but of course, you can ram them head-on as well and blast them from the road. The control of the vehicle is very good, surprisingly so considering this is a release from Yanoman who have till now released puzzle, strategy and interaction style games. Sega Rally fans may be reminded of that game as you maneuver your vehicle to and fro and keep pace with the clock in trying to reach the end goal. Runabout's game engine is a versatile beauty

The sensation that the Downtown level gives you of driving in a real city street is great. This is also one of the only racing games where you can drive around in circles (Downtown) with a goal rather than driving straightaway. It gives the drivers in us all a chance to practice cornering at 70mph and braking very sharply when we're doing 80. The freedom in the Downtown level is cool. Hitting cars is not only fun to do and to watch but it also gets you cash as well. From what I could gather, hitting bigger vehicles will garner more cash. Listed below is a little cash guide.

Vehicle	Value			A strategy that I tried was to hit as many cars as I could until my damage gauge was at 50%. Then, as I headed into the straight-away, I would discriminately smash into larger vehicles that I encountered for the most cash. The Downtown level isn't easy to complete because for one, in the city portion, you're really racing against time to pick up those 5 batteries as quickly as possible. If you're the destructive type that likes to inflict terror then you won't have a chance of finishing the level.
Tank-truck	$200,000
Police car	$50,000
Taxi-cab	$30,000
Van	$15,000
Phone-booth	$1,000

If you're adept enough and finish Downtown, you'll head off into the Seaside level where you race straight-away through a darkening sky against mountains and of course, seaside. The goal here is to reach the end of the level without incurring too many crashes though you will certainly have your fair share of them. Police cars and other cars on the side of the road will inexplicably surge forward when you pass and try to invoke an accident but there are tolls to barrel through, stationary trucks to crash into, lives to disrupt, etc.

Bottom Line: Fast, furious fun that lets you break all the rules.