Combat Cars is a racing game in which you not only compete with other cars, trying to outrun them, but also use all kinds of weapons and gadgets to damage your opponents. In the beginning of the game, you can choose one of the eight available characters. Each character has his/her own strengths and weaknesses (speed, car handling, etc.), as well as unique weapons. One has a homing missile, another a machine gun, and still others have oil slicks, glue globs, land mines, smoke clouds and even boosters which hurtle you down the track at an outrageous speed. There are 24 different tracks available in the game. You must complete them in a linear fashion, and once you run out of time, the game is over.

As with most racers, you can upgrade your car at the end of every race in the trackside shop. You can amp up your acceleration, brakes, top speed, and even the uses of your weapon. All of this costs money, of course. Money that can be earned in quite a few ways. There are 4 laps to every race, and every time you complete a lap you earn a certain amount of money depending on your ranking. You also get money for the time left on the clock at the end of the race and for the number of uses left on your weapon. About the time – when you finish a lap you gain some time on the clock, which is always counting down. (duh) If you run out of time you're fried.

Combat Cars combines racing with fighting, so if you're a fan of either or both then this is a game worth looking into. If you can't win the race by pure speed alone then use any of the extra abilities your vehicle comes with to ram your opponents off the road so you can claim first place!

Combat Cars features:

• Eight unique vehicles to choose from
• 24 grueling tracks
• Use weapons to knock your opponents off the track
• Win races and upgrade your arsenal or performance
• One or two players

You remember it from the 1980's as the game that was a component of every Atari 2600 game console. Now it's rumbling to your PC. It's Combat, the game everyone remembers and loves for its intensity and great head-to-head competition is reborn and revamped for the 21st century. Relive past contests and discover new ways to battle opponents with futuristic tanks in a cagey game of hide and seek, and destroy. Have fun all over again with simple game features, quick reflexes, and the pursuit of high scores. It's the way games were meant to be.

Windows Vista-ready

8.0 out of 10 – Gamezone

Windows 95/98/Me/Vista. Pentium II 350 MHz or faster. 32 MB RAM . 525 MB free hard disk space. DirectX version 8.0a (included) or higher. DirectX 8.0a-compatible 12MB Direct3D-compatible video card. DirectX 8.0a-compatible Windows 95/98/Me-compatible sound card. LAN or internet connection required for multiplayer online play

If you're looking for a game that combines awesome racing action with brutal combat, then look no further than Combat Cars. In this hybrid style of racing, anything goes, ramming, shooting, or just outrunning the competition, as you vie for the top prize on 24 grueling tracks. You'll be racing through mountain ranges, congested urban settings, and sandy beaches as you challenge your opponents to a duel like no other. There are eight vehicles to choose from, each equipped with its own arsenal of devastating weapons: missiles, mines, oil slicks, bullet blasts, and glue globs. If you're lucky enough to win a few races, you'll be able to upgrade your arsenal or your performance with things like turbo boosts, mega tires, and souped-up engines. Strap in and get ready for the race of your life with Combat Cars.