All the fun of the fare

Crazy Taxi Dreamcast £39.99 Sega ***
This is one cab ride where talk of the 'ammers and the Spurs would receive blank expressions rather than weary sighs. That's because this taxi is based in America and is also crazy.

Actually try frenetic, hectic or maybe just frantic, as Crazy Taxi is pure videogame espresso. Its burst of intense energy is an acquired, if short-lived, taste. Simply choose your yellow steed and away you go, rushing to get your fares from A to B as quickly as possible. The faster you work, the more money you receive, with creative use of the road encouraged.

You'll often find yourself driving through parks and cafes as the agile pedestrians jump out of the way. And, wow, doesn't it look splendid as the sun shines, the vehicles gleam and the realistic city whizzes past. It's a pity you can't stop the ride, pull over and admire the surroundings.

As well as a gorgeous reincarnation of the arcade machine, Dreamcast owners receive some tough training modes, more choice of how to play and, best of all, a whole new city.

This is all rather welcome as the Technicolor energy rush does fade rather rapidly, with long-term cabbies prone to spending time beating a particular training record rather than facing another tiring session on the streets.

Like the majority of Dreamcast titles so far, CT is perfect pick-up-and-play fodder, with little time for manuals, contemplation and patience. Playing for more than half an hour without a break is not recommended, especially to those whose idea of heaven is sauntering through Civilization.

But never mind, because Crazy Taxi is shallow, attractive and fun to be with. Who cares if it doesn't last forever? (GH)

Very pretty - but pretty ordinary

Nox Westwood Studios/EA ***
If looks could kill, Nox would have a rap sheet as long as a flight sim manual. It is striking, charming, vibrant, evocative and sexy - five words that probably have never been used about a role-playing game.

Graphics remain fast and smooth, no matter how much is going on, and if you doubted that a game could be colourful without bearing the words "For ages 4 and up" on the box, drag those doubts into the wastebasket.

In fact, Nox is so gorgeous, it's at least 10 hours before you notice how ordinary the gameplay is. The nuts and bolts here are the same as Diablo, Stonekeep, Darkstone - and having seen such long service, they're getting kinda rusty.

There are a few neat innovations, like the summon bomber ability, which allows you to assemble your very own two-legged, spell-packed killing machines, but the age-old dungeon-thrash rules remain unbent.

Once you've decided whether to play as wizard, warrior or conjurer, your choices are effectively over. The storyline is so linear, you feel like you're being poked with a stick every step of the way. This inability to dodge back and forth is all the more frustrating for the size of the levels: with limited inventory space and degradable weapons, you'll find yourself leaving armfuls of goodies behind because you can't carry them, and there's no going back later to pick it up.

But when it's not boring, restrictive or plain impossible. Nox is good fun. It's just that the fun was done first, better and bigger in Baldur's Gate, albeit a little less attractively. (AB)

Snowboard so bored

Coolboarders 4 Sony PlayStation Idol Minds/Sony ***
Coolboarders was the first snowboarding video game, and new releases seem to have become an annual event. Since I'm not a snowboarding fan, I haven't kept track, but this is certainly an improvement on the original.

You now get a choice of 16 real snowboarders, more than 30 boards, 30 new courses, and all sorts of tricks and "special events". You can even punch people during downhill races.

The controls are sluggish but it's still easy to perform a variety of stunts, which is the way to amass points. It's not quite pick-up-and-play, but the learning curve isn't too tough. The graphics are really good for a PlayStation game, and the snow-covered landscapes are extremely pretty.

The game is mercifully free of pop-ups (bits of scenery appearing out of nowhere) except on the downhill runs. Detail is usually good unless you run into a tree, in which case things get very pixellated indeed.

But, basically, snowboarding is pretty damn dull on a TV screen, however good the graphics. And while the game might appeal to fans who want to play as Jim Rippey or Michele Taggart, most of us have no idea who they are.

Coolboarders 4 is fun but it isn't going to change your life, especially if you've already got one of the earlier versions. (JB)