The graphics in Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit are superb. The “pop-in” of the scenery is very slight, typically going unnoticed. The lighting effects are excellent, especially in the night races. From the glare of your taillights on the wet pavement to the blinding effect of the halogen headlights of oncoming traffic, the look is dead on. Also, the “Atlantica” track is the most beautiful city track I’ve seen in a racing game to date. The soundtrack is a pumping techno mix which nicely accents the tempo of the game. The sound effects are equally good, sounding realistic and timed correctly. The graphics and sound work well together in NFS3 to make a nice package.

Need for Speed III offers a wide variety of options, allowing you to tailor the gameplay as you see fit. With two skill levels, two gameplay styles, eight tracks, four camera views, and a host of options which tweak or completely change the gameplay, you’re bound to find a few combinations that are your favorites. (Personally, I like zooming around Atlantica at night.) One unique feature of Need for Speed III is the “Hot Pursuit” race mode. In this mode, speeding will get you chased, pulled over, and even arrested if you get caught enough times. With a tough police A.I., recorded police commands, and even tire spikes, evading the boys in blue can be difficult. Another cool feature is the training mode, with its own vocal tutoring. Your opponents have pretty good A.I. as well... not just for racing against you, but for getting aggravated at you like a real person, and trying to run you off the road. (Great. Just what I need.)

If you want a challenging racing game, Need for Speed III should fit the bill. There’s more than enough options to make your game more challenging, from weather conditions to number of opponents to pursuit mode to night racing. Have fun and good luck.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for a nice, relaxing drive through the countryside, that’s possible too. Just set NFS3 to one player, single race, and set opponents to zero. Now, casually drive around... for a bit of fun, set traffic to “maximum” and practice your precision by slaloming the cars, trying not to (or trying to) hit the other cars. O.K., here’s the absolute truth... probably the most uproaringly fun thing to do in this game is to push the traffic around. They have A.I. and will drive around you and such, but they’re not incredibly bright. It is so much fun watching a station wagon trying to climb to higher ground up a hill to avoid you that it’s probably a sin...

Everything works well in this game. If any one mechanical aspect stands out in this game, it’s the A.I. of the other cars. You have police cars which increase aggression as you continue to elude them, opponents with an attitude, and traffic which responds intelligently (although not incredibly bright) to your actions. The graphics engine is also nice, with very little pop-in and two different first person views. Hot Pursuit is a nicely executed game. The only missing element is dual shock compatibility. If NFS3 had dual shock compatibility, I would have given it a 99%.

By the way, for the most enjoyable and best handling experience in Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit, I recommend using Actlabs’ RS Steering Wheel.