I'll keep this brief - if you've played Choro-Q 2 or 3, you've sorta played Choro-Q, too! This game is the progenitor of the (ca)RPG formula, and thus a little lighter on content than its successors. For example, the town featured in the second and third entries? Nowhere to be seen, yet this accomplishes as a solid racer nonetheless.

The main thing that sets this apart from the rest of the series is the realism of its setting. There is very little in this game that you couldn't see in real life - well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's certainly not as over the top as its follow ups. Race through tunnels, jungles and the Scottish highlands, but never somewhere a car should never be, such as a castle or... the ocean. This lack of wonder could lead to an uninspiring course lineup, but the total opposite is true! These are some of my favourite tracks in the PS1 trilogy, as there's a particular emphasis on mastery that loses focus a little going forward. Some of these tracks have brutal turns or tricky shortcuts, and making the right calls will often be the difference between first and last place.

On top of that, the game just looks great. Each track is detailed to a degree that you can't appreciate at high speed, encouraging me to stop and smell the roses. Accompanied by a phenomenal soundtrack - a quality I failed to mention in my review for the third game - Choro-Q ensures its status as a classic, and a worthy starting point to this quaint series.

Why did I start this series with the third entry, released only in Japan but blessed with a great fan translation? It's hard to say, but I had a fun time!

My initial impressions were mixed. Extremely basic courses with AI drivers that were impossible to outpace had me infuriated, and while I enjoyed driving around the game's town, I didn't feel myself progressing at all. I'd heard the game was a (ca)RPG, with you advancing by upgrading your vehicle to overcome challenges. When I eventually located the game's shop, this system began to flourish! While the game very rarely offers up interesting choices (most parts are standard statistical upgrades), you do have to consider what kind of tyres would be best suited to the track ahead of you. It's not especially complex, but it's compelling enough to keep me invested. What really works here is how the races rarely become trivial due to your car's abilities. You still have to work hard (even harder given how fast your car begins to move (steering becomes a true test of skill)) - in order to win each race.

What sets Choro-Q apart from other racers - as well as the reason I picked it up initially - is just how colourful and quaint the presentation is. While the cars aren't anthropomorphic as such, they have a certain quality to their designs that personifies them; it certainly helps that their headlights and grills make up somewhat of a face. These cute vehicles are plopped into beautiful dioramas of tracks, ranging from things you'd see in Formula 1 to Mario Kart. It brought me a lot of pleasure to see where the game would take me next, and I was rarely disappointed with the results. These tracks are twisty, and mastering each is a reward in and of itself. The game has some incredibly awkward turns, which makes mastery consistently tough. What I learnt after a while was that there was always an answer to even the bumpiest roads.

Despite there being so much more to Choro-Q 3, that's all I have to say about it. It's abundantly joyful, surprisingly challenging and full of treats that'll keep you on your toes. The town is ridiculously dense in its design and should you desite it, this game can keep you occupied for many hours.