Yet another masterpiece from Stevie G.

This time it is yet another racing-game and much like Micro Sprint, this one is also top-down, with somewhat similar looks - but don't let that fool you, if Micro Sprint was the equivalent of Sprint, by Atari (albeit, relying heavily upon the single-button mechanic of gameplay), then Van Turismo is more akin to the racing-games of the late 80's-early 90's.
As someone who on a regular basis like to boot up my CD32, or Amiga 500/1200 and play some ATR: Racing, Badlands, Rally Cross Challenge, Skidmarks, Supercars 1 and 2, Super Off-Road, etc. Van Turismo comes as a hidden gem, design-wise and gameplay-wise it is on par with the best of that era.

The game itself plays out in a top-down view, where you have a racing-track of varying shapes (twists, turns, bridges - the usual) - all concentrated on one screen (i.e. no scrolling) and although there are (afaik) no 'jumps' a la Supercars 2, nor any weapons - it still delivers great physics, graphics and sound.

The car (there's the one to choose) has really nice physics/traction and with the upgrade-system available through collecting wrenches, you can fine-tune it further to your liking (acceleration, speed, tires) - and it really makes a nice difference in the handling of your vehicle.

The graphics are similar to those of Stevie G.'s earlier titles (Micro Sprint and Polymaniacs) and are once again top-notch; the attention to detail, considering the minimalist approach to graphics; this is once again a truly shining example of aesthetics done right.

The variety of tracks is very nice and there's also the option to run the tracks backwards.

I would love to see more tracks (there are 12,) and also with some added weather-effects, this could have perhaps given the game more lasting-value/challenge.

The music (as always) should be noted is simply... perfect. It is difficult to describe the sensation of sound in these games, to one who is as biased as I am; having grown up with these kinds of racing-games, I immediately recognize the music as something of its era, the same goes for the sound-effects - none of it is very complex, nor 'high-quality-orchestra', but rather they are simply good sound-effects in the perfect spots and a perfect tune, that just don't get tiring and evokes that nostalgic feeling of trying out a new racing-game for the first time - not (yet another) car-simulator, but an actual game

It is arcade-y, it is good-looking, good-sounding, but most importantly of all; it is fun, remember how games used to be just that? fun?