It hasn't taken long for racing games to overpopulate the Dreamcast landscape. In just over a year, the system has amassed a large number of racers. That's great for racing fans, but perhaps not for developers because, as time passes, their games will have to be something really special if they want to stand out from the Dreamcast racing crowd. Considering the manner in which the Test Drive series has been limping along after its great initial titles, it would be easy to expect Test Drive Le Mans to be just another Dreamcast racing game, or even worse, a bottom-of-the-barrel Dreamcast racer. Yes, it would be easy, but it would be wrong. Test Drive Le Mans weighs in as a very pleasant surprise - looking good, playing well, and comparing favorably with some of the console's best racing games. 

Test Drive Le Mans is a great looking game, with excellent car models and a silky smooth frame rate. The tracks look great and detailed. Weather effects are also impressive.  Rain starts slowly, but as it gets heavier it impedes your visibility. Almost everything has a realistic look to it, although the cars are a little shinier than they should be and sprays of water from your tires look a bit unrealistic. A couple of nice effects are also present, such as tire marks that remain on the tracks (or grass if you're unlucky) for the duration of a race. So, if you leave the track at one point, you're reminded of it on future laps. Glowing brake discs and a sky that changes as you drive -- at least during the Le Mans 24 hour race -- are a couple of other neat touches that really show off the attention to detail that has gone into the game. 

Engines sound very authentic, but they're just the start of an impressive series of sound effects. Even better is the inclusion of crowd noise, which is absent in so many racing games. The crowd will cheer as you complete a lap and, at some grandstands, they'll sound off horns as you zoom by. It's a really neat and immersive effect. The sounds of real racing are all intact here. The good sound effects, however, are tempered by a soundtrack that's unremarkable, filled with unmemorable tunes that don't grate but you wouldn't go out of your way to listen to.  

Cars act and react in a realistic manner that's the perfect balance between arcade and pure sim style. The driving model demands that you drive in a realistic manner, giving the brakes a lot of work in corners. The feeling of control, and the ability to sense how far you're pushing your car is really impressive. It's thanks, in part, to the clear graphics and a sense of speed that's just right, but also due to visual and audio aids such as skidding tires and smoke. Opposing cars exhibit surprisingly good AI, which is definitely more realistic than in most racing games. The computer AI isn't perfect, and will occasionally leave the track in corners, which can really mess you up if you're trying to keep pace. There appears to be only one area where the AI needs improvement - when you're approaching cars in lower classes and cars you're about to lap. They often race aggressively and fight for position, which is generally considered bad form in professional racing - they should be yielding position.  

Test Drive Le Mans has a variety of play modes, including the classic 24-hour Le Mans endurance race. While you don't have to run the race for its full 24 hours, it remains an option for hardcore fans, who can save their progress at a pit stop and return for more action later. There are also single race and championship modes, rounding out a pretty complete experience. Two annoyances really reveal themselves in the championship mode, which is otherwise a worthwhile mode that comprises the meat of the game. First, there appears to be no way to detect the weather before you actually appear on the starting grid. That makes it exceptionally hard to equip your car with the right tires for the weather. If it's raining and you've got soft tires, you'll obviously have a lot less control over your car than you'd want to. Expect to struggle through a slippy-slidey race start at least a few times in Championship mode. The other major oversight is the lack of a save feature in championship mode. Sure, you can save a Le Mans race, but why can't you save in the middle of an endurance series? The inability to save means you've got to run through a season in one sitting.  If you want to run just one race, you're out of luck. The seasons don't get excessively long – the longest will probably take less than 2 hours, but having to play them all at once is something you shouldn't have to do.  

Test Drive Le Mans really bucks the trend towards mediocrity in the Test Drive series - it's an excellent game that's a lot of fun to play. Excellent control and great graphics highlight a package that's among the best Dreamcast racers. While it almost seems like the user interface was thrown in as an afterthought, lacking key features such as saved games and the ability to preview weather, the core game is great, and a wonderful value with its lower than average MSRP.