Climax Revs Up Runabout 2

Climax isn't only known for RPGs, although that will likely remain the company's claim to fame. Just announced is the sequel to its PlayStation action-racing title Runabout, which was released in the States by Ascii (now known as Agetec) as Felony 11-79.

The sequel features the same hit-and-run gameplay of the original, which - joined by games like Driver, Grand Theft Auto, and Carmageddon - has carved out a new subgenre of racing games. You can choose from four different vehicles (The 1500, A156, Revu and Cub) and take on sixall-new courses. The object in each is of course to steal an item and then escape the police as quickly and as smoothly as possible. That may mean crashing through walls, etc. Luckily, this is just a video game, so no one gets hurt.

The six courses include South Island, a Florida-like ocean-side city; Casino Town; which could double for Las Vegas; Yen City, a Shibuya- or Shinjuku-like town; Castle Gate City, very Alamo-lookin'; and Desert Town, literally, a town in the desert.

Look for Runabout 2 later this year.