Crazy Cars III is the final game of the racing series, released in 1992 by Titus Interactive. The basis for the game is illegal road racing in the United States. The aim is to progress through 4 divisions to become the top road racer.
After first choosing your character, you must enter your Lamborghini into your first race. A guide to the course will appear after selecting one of the cities. This will inform you of the locals' form, police presence and entry cost, all important criteria in your decision.
In the beginning, races with lower rated locals and few police will be more attractive as you'll have more chance of winning, albeit they have a lesser prize fund.
Once you've made your choice you'll be taken to the start line and the game begins. The gameplay will be familiar to anyone who's played Out Run or Road Rash. The skill is in swerving to avoid other drivers and judging how much speed you can carry round corners without sliding off. The Lamborghini has good grip and is fun to drive, with the tires squealing as you corner. Winning isn't too difficult in the easy initial cities. This is a good thing because you'll need the winner's purses to stay competitive as the game evolves.
As
you move on you'll enter races with police speed traps. If you're caught speeding you'll be labeled an offender and you'll hear the sound of police sirens. Once the police cars are alongside you, they'll attempt to drive you off the road. Not only does this slow you down but it inflicts damage on your car which will cost you to repair and hamper your performance if you don't. Outrunning the police to finish though is an especially satisfying part of the game and helps make it more engaging.
The game holds your interest as the opposition gets tougher and you must spend your winnings on a variety of upgrades to improve your machine to compete. In addition to earnings from races you can make bets with your division opponents on results to gain extra cash. As your car improves it takes more skill to drive to its limit on narrower courses in wet and icy conditions.
The core of Crazy Cars III, the racing, is very entertaining and the diversity of tracks and car upgrades serve to add an extra dimension to the experience. On the downside the game only allows you to save every 4 races, which you'll need to win to keep progressing so you have to be quite committed to complete it. On the whole this is a game very worth checking out for hours of enjoyment.
