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Monster Trucks, with their huge wheels, bouncing suspension and roaring engines have formed quite a cult following over the last few years. Short indoor tracks put spectators up close and involved with the races and the sheer unpredictability of those thundering machines as they bounce over dozens of manmade hillocks is certainly an awesome experience.  

4 WHEEL THUNDER puts you in charge of one of these inspired constructions that can take many forms. From massive cabs many feet above the ground to converted production cars their diversity is almost as endless as human imagination. Each also has its own strengths and weaknesses. Some are more rugged, able to scale the most hostile inclines. Others sacrifice strength for speed and their lighter build gives them the edge on the straights and corners. 

To be honest, choice of car is really secondary in this game. It doesn’t matter much whether you are tearing around an indoor circuit or crashing across an outside track because you’ll always be playing catch-up. The default setting for each race is set at last place so you’re really going to have to go for it all out if you want to win. Winning is also the only way to move through the game and open up new tracks so you need to be good, determined and ruthless. 

Advanced AI means that the other guys on the track are, perhaps, even more intent on coming first than you are and they’ll try to block you or get in your way. In fact the only way to get past them is with a full burst of turbo power. You can collect these power-ups, usually from off the racing line, and the colour codes determine just how much turbo boost you’ll have. Blue ones give you 4 seconds while red ones give you 9. It’s not a lot, I know, and you’ll need to have them almost permanently engaged to win. 

This is where track knowledge comes into play. Knowing when to brake, when to accelerate and when to boost is vital but, as the indoor tracks are generally short, it won’t take too long to master their bumps and curves. Outside is a different matter. Long stretches littered with bumps and rocks, tortuous hairpins and narrow sections make these tracks a much more interesting experience. They also offer more chances to pass although the necessity for turbo speed and power-up collection remains the same.