This is a decent racing game, fun and fast-paced. But where 3DO has really raised the bar is with the crash effects. Cars collide with a satisfying crunching sound. Smoke belches from under what's left of your hood. Car parts go flying. Huge dents appear right at the point of impact--even the taillights go out, one by one. After a few minutes your car looks like something out of a junkyard.

All this carnage makes Destruction Derby 64 one of the most fun car racing games to appear in quite a while. Aside from the pure and simple smash-'em-up derbies, you can choose a traditional looped racetrack race. Well, not exactly traditional: half of the cars race in one direction, the other cars go in the opposite direction. What happens when the two racing groups meet isn't pretty, but it is fun. Bonus: one track is laid out in a crash-inducing figure eight, just like your favorite Hot Wheels sets.

The game's only weakness is the save functionality: you need a memory card to save, and even then you need to complete an entire series to save and move to the next level. Too bad you can't save after every race: it would have reduced the annoyance factor considerably. But, nitpicking aside, the combination of high-speed racing and good old-fashioned smash-'em-up thrills makes Destruction Derby 64 a first-place winner. --Jeanne Uy

Pros:

• Car-smash effects are realistic
• Contains both circuit track racing and dirt-field demolition derby events
• Rear-view, drive-backwards mode is a nice improvement over other games
• Great multiplayer game for up to 4 players

• Can't save after every race
• Not enough variety in standard cars