THE packaging of this release from Cavalier certainly promised much - 'The smell of the turf, the drama of the steward's enquiry and the excitement of thoroughbreds thundering neck and neck to a photo finish.” When the game has loaded, you are asked for the number of players (maximum nine) and how large a stake (maximum £5,000) they are allowed. Each is then prompted for a horse to bet on, the size of the bet and its type (win or each way). A simple graphical representation of a race track appears, complete with fences. Assuming that there isn't a steward's enquiry or photo finish, the results are immediately shown with information about your wins and losses. Two further options are open to you when asked to state the size of your bet. To raise more capital you can choose to sell, which brings up a list of your possessions and the lines of credit open to you. If you have been successful you can opt to spend your winnings, which presents a menu of goodies from a Golf GTi to a £350,000 mansion. As in real life, accidents can happen: The starting gate may jam. a rider can be dismounted or fall off and you may. like me. have an outsider disqualified for an illegal compound in its hooves. At first the game is fascinating, especially if you haven't really got the faintest idea what's going on. I was overjoyed to win £1.25m after an each-way bet of £10,000 on a 100/1 shot. I thought this was a bug in the program until some course-wise friends put me straight. My major criticism is that if you manage to increase your stake to over £11,000,000, the incentive to play further disappears. Overall, I can't see any afficianados of the sport thinking much of this program. Paul Gardener, CWTA | 
