Dreamway by Handy Entertainment, $19.95
Reviewed February 2004 by Eric Falk

Do you have the need for speed? Maybe you are too fast and too furious? If so, then Dreamway may be the game for you. Mixing challenging courses and dastardly competitors Handy Entertainment creates a recipe for high-octane fun!

The object of Dreamway is simple, complete each race and cross the finish line before anyone else. However, to be the first one to cross the finish line takes a lot more than just having a fast car. You'll need to master the track, your car, and avoid rocket missiles and tire spikes. Yes, I said rocket missiles and tire spikes. These are just a few of the many weapons that your opponents will use to slow you down. Good news, you can return the favor on them! Not only do you race around mind bending tracks, but you can also pick up "bonuses" which will give you one of many enhancements. The bonuses are randomly placed along the track and can either help you or your opponent, depending on which bonus you pick up. In addition to a variety of bonuses, Dreamway also offers several different game modes to choose from and many unique tracks and cars to race. The racing is fast and the competition is intense. The winner isn't necessarily the fastest car, bonuses make Dreamway a constant back and forth battle for the win.

Dreamway is played from a bird's eye view perspective and rendered in a cartoon like graphical style. There are 3 different game modes to play in, "Single Race", "The Cup", and "Knockout". Single Race is where you race without any opponents; this is mainly to familiarize yourself with the course, your car, and to perfect your racing skills. The Cup mode of racing offers new cars and new tracks as you win each course and finally there is Knockout, where the last racer in each lap gets eliminated. Dreamway is fairly intuitive to play, however I found many of the menu item icons to be confusing and the main interface was not as efficiently laid out as it could have been. Even with that said, after playing Dreamway you will begin to remember what the menu items represent and how to navigate through the interface. Controlling your racecar was a bit difficult at first, however after several games I began to get the hang of it. Dreamway offers many other options such as many difficulty levels, customizable button controls, and extension packs with new tracks, cars, and soundtracks.

The graphics are both beautiful and refreshing. You don't see many games created in such a beautifully rendered cartoon style as Dreamway. There is so much to look at on each track that often times I found I needed to race a few games in Single Race mode just so I could admire the nicely rendered art. There are six surreal race tracks, each with it's own unique theme complete with animations. Two of my favorite racetracks were " Miracle Forest " and "Asteroids".

Playing Hints and Tips

Play several games in Single Race mode to familiarize yourself with the track and how to control your car. When you feel you've got your car under control and are ready to compete I suggest going to The Cup mode. If you find this to still be a bit too difficult, try setting the game to the easiest difficulty level and increase as you become better.