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Manx TT SuperBike is a 3D motorcycle racing game that is based on Sega's arcade game of the same name. The arcade version of Manx TT SuperBike runs on Sega's very powerful Model 2 arcade board and it features a huge life-size interactive motorcycle, so no one in their right mind would expect to get a 100% arcade to home conversion for their Sega Saturn. However, because of solid translations of game like Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2, Saturn owners have come to expect arcade to Saturn conversions that faithfully reproduce the gameplay experience of the arcade version as much as possible. In that respect, Manx TT is one of Sega's best translations to date.

Manx TT features four distinct game play modes: Arcade, Saturn, Time Trial and 2 Player. The Arcade mode is based on the arcade version of Manx TT and it features the option to race on two different courses, either the Laxey Coast (3 laps, easy) or TT Course (2 laps, difficult). The only other option is whether to use a bike with manual or automatic transmission. The Saturn mode is a new mode that allows you to select either Practice, Challenge or SuperBike (which is only opened after you beat the Challenge mode or open it with a code).

The Practice race mode allows you to race on any of the four available courses (Laxey, TT Course, Laxey reverse mirrored, TT Course reverse mirrored) and to race either 3, 5 or 7 laps.

The Challenge race mode allows you to race your way through all four Manx TT race course, in the following order: Laxey Coast, TT Course, Laxey Course RM, and TT Course RM. But, in order to progress to the next course you must finish the race without your time expiring and you must be one of the top three racers, and in the final state, the reverse mirrored TT Course, you must finish first to complete the Challenge stage.

Once you pass the Challenge race mode (or use the cheat code), the SuperBike race mode will open up and you will be given three SuperBikes to race on in addition to the eight different motorcycles that you initially had available to you. The SuperBike race mode is handled the same way as the Challenge mode, but the challenge is much greater because you are up against faster and more skillful opponents.

The third gameplay mode that is featured in Manx TT SuperBike is the Time Trial Mode, which is a mode where your only competition is your own times. In the Time Trial mode you can race on any of the four courses and can use any of the eleven motorcycles that are available to you. Once you select the course, you must then determine whether the number of laps that you want to run, either 3, 5 or free run (unlimited). After that you must then choose whether to have the Ghost Rider turned off, project the image of the last lap, or project the image of the best lap.

The last gameplay option in Manx TT is the Two Player split-screen mode that allows two human opponents to compete head to head to see who is the best. In this mode you can use any of the available bikes and race on any of the four available courses.

The control in Manx TT ranges from near perfection to below average, depending on what peripheral you are using to play the game. With the standard digital pad, the control seems a bit awkward because you must constantly tap the directional pad to make some turns and because the motorcycle rider leans while turning it just doesn't work out right. To get the best control and gaming experience out of Manx TT, you must use the Saturn's 3D analog control pad. With the analog pad, the control is damn near perfect. Because the game controlled so well with the 3D analog control pad, I was expecting an equally impressive performance out of the analog steering wheel. Sadly, that isn't the case as it just doesn't seem to respond in the right ways making it difficult to control your bike.

As one would expect, the graphics in the Saturn version of Manx TT are not nearly as beautiful as its arcade counterpart which runs at a silky smooth 60 frames per second and features virtually no pop-up. However, the graphics in the Saturn version are still fairly impressive as the game does run at a very respectable 30 fps and features what is quite possibly the best 3D engine of any Saturn racer to date. There is a very noticeable amount of pop-up, but with the exception of the split screen mode, the pop-up is never enough to cause any problems at all with the race. The pop-up in the split screen mode can cause problems with a few turns, but in most cases can also be ignored.

The two courses are very detailed and are filled with many vibrant colors and animation of the bike riders match the real thing much more than any other motorcycle racer currently on the market. There are two views available, first- person and behind the bike, both of which give you a great sensation of speed. You will find some slow-down in the first-person perspective in certain parts of the game, but for the most part it runs at a fairly smooth frame rate. And with the behind the bike view, there is only a minor drop in the frame rate when four or more computer controlled bikes are on screen at once.

Other than the fact that only four total courses are available (with two being reverse mirrored tracks), the biggest problem that I had with Manx TT is in the audio department. The engine noise and tire squeaks are very well done and the music is befitting of the fast and upbeat pace of the game, but the voice is downright horrible. There is not a problem with the sound quality of the voices, but the samples are downright annoying. All of the voice samples seem like they have been done by Lo Wang of Shadow Warrior, but while it fits the theme in that game, it feels so out of place in Manx TT.

Overall, Manx TT SuperBike is an exceptional conversion of a fun and exciting arcade game and is one of the most impressive racers available on the Sega Saturn. The only real problem with it is the fact that it only features four tracks and that seriously hampers its longevity and replay value. Because of this I can't recommend the purchase of Manx TT unless you can find it used or cheap.

RATINGS

Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 5/10
Control: 9/10
Game Play: 9/10
Replay Value: 5/10

OVERALL: 7.5/10