Whether you are a hard-core racing fanatic or a novice to racing sims, you are sure to satisfy your need for speed with Hasbro Interactive's NASCAR Heat!  This new racing sim is sure to be a serious contender for top honors in this year's offering of sim software titles.

Firing up this software is like stepping into the real-world Winston Cup circuit, complete with 19 official tracks including the Daytona Speedway.  There is enough richly detailed authentic background and trackside scenery to make you imagine you can smell the gas fumes coming off your engine!

The car renderings are excellent as well and can be viewed from a variety of spectacular camera angles on the track or from the VCR-style replay screen.  Although you can't paint or add decals to NASCAR's officially licensed cars, you can access the Paint Kit Screen to paint and decal the stock car machine of your dreams.

Beyond the splendid graphics of NASCAR Heat are some innovative racing modes that make this software more exciting and entertaining.  There are 26 licensed drivers featured in this software.  They are all pros and they are not going to give you a single break when you compete against them!

Selecting the Single Race mode is an excellent way to learn how to handle your car.  Remember that you will need to calibrate your steering device before you begin racing.  (The recommended gear is a steering wheel and pedal combo.)  You will also need to configure your game controls.

The Championship Mode is the next best thing to pursuing a real-world career in NASCAR racing.  This mode will put you through your paces and allow you to compete in the points standings in a grueling season schedule.  This is where you will experience all the ups and downs of a racing season first hand.  You can also compete against multiple players via modem, ISDN, Cable/DSL, or LAN.

The next mode, Beat the Heat, is especially addictive.  It is here that you will find 39 pre-set scenarios that will pose a "what if" situation to challenge and excite you beyond belief!  You begin with simple and easy challenges at Daytona and gradually work your way up to the ultimate challenges of the High Octane set.

Last but not least is the Beat the Pro mode.  Here you can race various NASCAR drivers in head-to-head action.  You can choose the track on which you wish to compete and you can adjust the difficulty level from Normal or Expert for the challenge that suits you best.

In order to appeal to a wide scope of players, NASCAR Heat features two driving settings:  Normal and Expert.  If you choose the Normal setting, you will enter a more arcade-like mode where you will never have to tweak your car.  Those who love to get their hands cyber-dirty will want to play in Expert mode so they can enter the Garage menu and tweak to their heart's content.

NASCAR Heat is rated for Everyone.

Minimum system requirements include:  Windows 95/98 or higher, Pentium II, 233 MHz or higher, 32MB RAM, 20MB free Hard Disk space, 8X CD-ROM, Direct 3-D compatible video card with 4MB AGP or better, DirectX Version 7.0 (included) or higher, 33.6 baud Modem for Modem/Internet play.  Recommended devices include a DirectX compatible sound car and a Windows compatible Joystick or Steering Wheel.

Please Note:  An official patch has already been released for this software that will greatly improve playability and enjoyment. (See http://downloads.gamezone.com/indexes/m14410.htm) 

Installation is quick and easy.

Gameplay:  7.5.  Even with the patch, there are a few areas which still need work.  The AI behavior during cautions and when nearing pit stops greatly reduces game momentum, and the damage modeling is rather unbelievable in that damage does not seem to affect mobility in a realistic way.  Still, the game handles quite smoothly for the most part.  Hopefully, an additional patch will thrust this software into the lead of the pack for driving sims.

Graphics:  9.5.  If rated on graphics alone, NASCAR Heat would sky-rocket to the top of the heap!

Sound:  7.5.  There is some bleed out in sound that is unrealistic, but sound effects are good for the most part.

Difficulty:  9.0.  The Normal mode is quite easy to understand and play, even for beginners, while the Expert mode is quite demanding and will present a challenge for even the most adept player.

Concept:  9.5.  NASCAR Heat gets you as close to the Winston Cup circuit as possible for cyberspace.  The graphics will wow you and the different driving modes will have you addicted in no time.

Overall:  8.5.  Despite the problems I encountered even after the patch, I would have to say that Hasbro Interactive has done a fine job in making NASCAR Heat a top contender in the driving sim field.  The game is both fun and exciting and will accommodate the beginning player as well as the die-hard driving enthusiast!