Let 'er rip!
Larry Ragland isn't exactly a household name and if this racing game bearing his name is anything to go by, then it's not a great surprise why this should be so. 4x4 Challenge is a decent, if unspectacular, little driving game which is entertaining enough for a short while, but which is decidedly lacking in long term thrills. It's basically an arcade-style racer, like a flashier take on the old-school charm of Power Drift, which gives players eight tracks on which to race and some 15 different trucks to do it in. You have the usual options, including three championships to choose from, as well as an arcade time-based mode for some added variety. The tracks themselves are pretty decent, offering plenty of twists, turns and jumps to enjoy, while the trucks handle very differently but which sadly offer no options for customisation. The game features damage effects, so you have to be careful how you drive which adds some extra interest while there is also support for local multiplayer. As far as these things go, LRC is very much an average offering. It lacks the sheer visceral thrills of the Screamer series, although there is a decent sense of thrills and bouncing around the various tracks is pretty fun, if only for a short while. Visually, this one delivers the goods, with nice trackside detail and some undeniably pretty environments to look at while you race around at breakneck but there's something lacking from the whole affair. It's certainly not a bad game, but don't go in expecting too much, as you're likely to end up disappointed.
