As we approach the venue, there's no mistaking the sound: something between an angry hornet and an F-14 fighter jet is doing its best to leave the confines of its imposed incarceration. But instead of a race track, we've been summoned to a small room in Hammersmith, thousands of miles from the glamour of the Formula 1 circus as it starts its 2002 tour in Melbourne. Not disheartened by the fact that we're not soaking up the antipodean sunshine, we're here to play Geoff Crammond's latest opus, Grand Prix 4.
As you're no doubt aware, when it comes to Formula 1 games on the PC, Crammond is the only name in the worn-out pole position metaphor. But no matter what the quality of the quips, they're well deserved. With Grand Prix 3 having completed its victory lap with the release of Season 2000 just over eight months ago, the team is hurriedly putting the final tweaks to Grand Prix 4.
Scheduled for release at the end of May, GP4 is the first full Geoff Crammond game to be released by Infogrames. Fans worried that the change in publisher will result in the bastardisation of the franchise can rest easy. Crammond is still heavily involved with the development and is, as ever, responsible for the core design of the game engine. We're further assured by Nick Court, studio head at Microprose: "We see each iteration of the Grand Prix series as an evolution, not a revolution." A clichŽ, but heartening.
WHAT
LS's Tip of the weekESSENTIAL OILS aren't essential unless you're an engine, a gearbox or a twat