Platform: PC

Manufacturer: Microprose / Hasbro

INTRODUCTION:

Grand Prix 3 (GP3) doesn't need much introduction if you have played Geoff Crammond's previous title, Grand Prix 2. Grand Prix 2 was, and still is, one of the best known and best selling of all computer racing simulations. GP3 tries to continue on this path. It models the 1998 F1 season with all 22 drivers, 11 teams and 16 tracks. GP3 has been 4 years in the making and with a huge hype surrounding it, especially, during the last year before its release this summer. Can it destroy the tough opposition from the likes of EA Sports (F1 2000) like GP2 did a little over 4 years ago? Read on.

MY SETUP:

• Intel Celeron 366@458 MHz CPU
• 64MB RAM
• 3Dfx Voodoo3-3000 AGP video card
• Sound Blaster Live Value sound card
• 50x CD-ROM drive
• Windows 98
• Guillemot Ferrari Force Feedback wheel

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Intel Pentium 266 MHz or AMD K6-2 or higher CPU
• 32MB RAM
• 2MB DirectX compatible video card (8MB RAM DirectX 7.0 compatible 3D card for 3D-mode)
• DirectX 7.0 compatible sound card
• 4x CD-ROM drive
• 100 MB hard drive space
• Windows 95/98

PACKAGING:

The box is in red and white colour with a shot of Mika Hakkinen (McLaren #8) and Eddie Irvine (Ferrari #4) on the front side. It doesn't look too bad but it's nothing special. On the back side there are some in game screenshots and the key features of the game are listed. You can also see the system requirements and ELSPA age recommendation (3+).

Inside the box you will find a 2000 Microprose product catalogue and more interestingly, the manual itself. The manual, although very similar to the one in GP2, is quite nice with 174 pages of useful information. There was one problem with my manual, though, as it had over 30 pages missing (including the circuit maps) and some sections were repeated twice. The manual covers everything from installing the game, to setting up your controller, graphic options, to refining your car setups and driving skills. It's a good read especially for rookies.

INSTALLATION:

The installation is simple, just put the CD-ROM disc in and if Autorun is enabled in Windows, the installation program will launch. From there you just need to follow the simple installation routine and choose things like installation directory and how much of the game you want installed on your hard drive. You can also choose to install DirectX7 if you don't have it on your system yet. After 5-10 minutes the installation is complete.

When you launch the game, the first thing that will come up is the introduction video. It shows some footage of real F1 races and is the kind of video you will only watch once. Next the game asks if you wish to calibrate your graphics. This is a series of test runs at different resolutions to determine the optimum graphical setting for your system. I didn't find this very useful, as I had to later change the graphic settings quite a bit to make the game run smoothly.

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