Of the plethora of racing games available for the PlayStation, few venture off the beaten track (pun intended). While there are numerous contests featuring cars, trucks and motorcycles, there is but a single airplane racing game and, until now, only one boat racing game. Sony's Turbo Prop Racing is the latest addition to the boat racing category and it attempts to distinguish itself from the competition by delivering blinding speed and realistic physics.

I expected that some level of detail would be lost due to the 60 fps frame rate, but it is not noticeable. The programmers included some scenery as well as tunnels, rocks, and some drops on the course itself. The backgrounds might seem repetitive at times, but then again, how much variation can you have with water courses? Turbo Prop Racing does its best to keep things interesting with both night and day races, slow and fast moving water, and even a lava course.

No matter which course you play, the water effects are the best I've seen on the PlayStation thus far. It really looks and feels as if the water is flowing downstream with a mind of its own. A word for those with weak stomachs -- the speed of the game combined with the graphics of the moving water can cause some serious motion sickness, especially in the first person viewpoint. Dramamine is recommended.

As with most racing games, in the beginning you can select from only three vehicles and three courses. Five more boats and three more waterways become available as you progress through the game. If you can win a race on each course, night races as well as a tournament mode open up. The boats themselves differ in four areas-top speed, handling, acceleration, and hull stability. The courses are ranked according to their difficulty.

The boat upgrade system is rather unique. Unlike other racing games, you cannot buy new parts with money earned from winning races. Instead, you have to collect five yellow buoys and finish in first place during specified races. If you can accomplish that, you gain access to a bonus track. As the bonus track begins, you can select which type of upgrade you want: speed, acceleration, or handling. However, you have to then collect five yellow buoys within a limited amount of time on a slalom-type track in order to obtain the upgrade. Depending on which difficulty level you have selected, you may not get the chance to retry the bonus course if you fail. While this arguably extends the replay value of the game, the difficulty of obtaining upgrades might frustrate many gamers.

The boat engines whine and roar, and the sound of splashing water can be heard, but other than that there are few sound effects. There is an announcer in the same vein as Ridge Racer who is equally annoying even though he doesn't say much. The heavy techno music, which has become standard for this type of game, is nondescript and repetitive. I would have preferred music that fit the courses -- Calypso for the Miami Beach course, dueling banjos for the white water rapids, Polynesian music for the lava course, etc.

My biggest criticism with the game stems from its strongest feature-- the realistic physics. The designers have done a great job of simulating white water rapids. Too accurate, in fact. When I play a racing game, I always want to feel that I am in control. If I crash, it's my own fault. If I win a race, it's because of my skillful driving. With Turbo Prop Racing, I sometimes felt as if I was trying to steer a stick of wood that had been dropped into a raging river. In other words, I had no control and was just being pushed along by the current. Eventually, I learned to use the L1 and R1 buttons for sharp turns and I knew when to use the turbo boost on each course. However, if I crashed I would get tossed around like so much flotsam and jetsam that I'd have to restart the race. Even when I won a race I felt as if it was due more to luck than skill.

The only other criticism I have has to do with collisions. Turbo Prop Racing has gone out of its way to emulate rapids and capture the feeling of racing on moving water. Yet, when your boat hits another boat or a rock or the side of a canyon at over 100 mph, it sustains no damage at all. In fact, bumping other boats helps you jockey for position. While nothing is wrong with this per se, it doesn't seem to fit the "simulation" style of the game. Perhaps they should have included a damage meter.

Turbo Prop Racing is the best boat racing game available for the PlayStation (which isn't hard to do, seeing as how there are only two). It certainly is refreshing to play a racing game which doesn't involve automobiles for a change. However, don't be fooled by the use of the term "arcade" on the cover. The game does have an arcade look to it, but it definitely plays more like a simulation. Think Gran Turismo on water, and expect a similar learning curve. Accordingly, Turbo Prop Racing may not be for everyone.