Just bought Crazy Cars 3

I've always wanted to own this game on the Amstrad CPC, I own it on the Amiga and it's a great game, but unfortunately I'm looking for a replacement disk, as it no longer works. Despite loving this game on the Amiga, I really like the Amstrad CPC version, obviously, it pales in comparison, but I found it highly enjoyable none the less.

So a couple of days ago, I stumble across a copy of CC3 on disk for the CPC, manual, poster and all the gubbins included, with the box in almost perfect condition. I put three offers in before the seller finally settled on what I felt was a good deal for the both of us. Today the game arrived and it's in near perfect condition, I'm gobsmacked. It came bubble wrapped up to high heaven, so I carefully opened, slowly peeling back the layers and there it was, a thing of beauty that I'd been tracking down for almost twenty years, my Crazy cars collection is now complete.

The game is actually rather cool, ahead of its time almost, the story goes; you've just arrived in the USA, with your heart set on becoming the next Donald Trump. Unfortunately, your only real skills are street racing, and America is the number 1 place in the world for illegal underground highway activity. As chance would have it, you run into an old friend down on his luck, he offers to sell you his Lamborghini Diablo, you buy it at a rock bottom price, leaving you with only a few thousand dollars, with your sights set firmly on entering your first race.

Your car is equipped with a five-speed gearbox, super or regular tyres, night vision and a handy turbo button. There's also a vehicle class system that determines the performance of your car as you progress, the more you customise, the more this bumps up your class. There are fifteen races available in each division, but each comes with an entry fee and a prize if you win, just try not to damage your car.

To sum up, there are four divisions to race through, a garage where you can upgrade and repair your car, a betting system at the start of each race, police chasing you, tough competitors including a chap called 'Sal Capone' and lots of dirty tricks. But the greatest of all is that you can load or save progress.

It's not for everyone, it's insanely tough, you'll twat your Lambo loads when you first play, might be a bit serious for some, but I simply had to have it as there is nothing else like it on the CPC. CC3 owned the Amiga, and the experience comes across half decent on the Amstrad.