The basic backstory behind Driver is simple. You're an ex-racer turned cop who has to go undercover to investigate a mafia family. Your job? To be the getaway driver. Set in four cities (you start in Miami before moving on to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and ending in New York), you have the freedom to travel throughout the whole city map and choose any route you want to take. It's similar to Grand Theft Auto in that respect, only in 3D. You have a number of objectives to complete--you might have to pick up crooks who have just robbed a bank and take them to their hideout, or smash an opponent up until their car completely breaks down--all while avoiding the cops. There is a Felony meter, and the more cops spot you, the higher the meter will be... and the more they'll do to stop you. Aside from having more mad cops on your tail, they will also set up roadblocks. Mad cops? Yes, these cops will stop at nothing to get you. They'll tear up the city if they have to, smashing into other traffic and even each other in their quest--though if you're too far ahead, they'll give up the chase.

The most remarkable thing about Driver are the cities it is based in. Huge, detailed and fully functional, the traffic in these cities acts accurately enough, stopping at traffic lights and intersections. There are also many landmarks in each city, such as the Transamerica Bank building or the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. They aren't made just with looks in mind, as they also contain many cleverly placed alleyways for cars being chased to duck in to. In fact, it's simply fun to cruise around the cities, seeing the sights and annoying the local cops.

One of the main inspirations behind Driver were the classic car chases from 1970s movie, and it is apparent in every area. From the little detail of hubcaps flying off car wheels and humorously rolling down the street (a comedic touch that was well appreciated) to the back-alleys with boxes and barrels to smash, to the choice of San Francisco as a city (anyone remember Bullit?), even down to the oddball characters, you can see where the designers got their ideas from. The best feature of them all, however, has to be the Film Director mode, where you get to direct your own chase scene. After making the footage by playing the game, choosing the Film Director mode will allow you to change the camera angles to capture the action in the best possible way. However, there are problems with this mode which not only make it unintuitive, but will also turn a lot of people off. Firstly, there is always about 30 seconds in the beginning of each stage where you are cruising around looking for a cop, in order to start the chase you want filmed. This adds a rather unnecessary and boring part to the beginning of any movie. Additionally, you cannot view footage as you are forwarding it, so in order to have maximum control you have to sit through and watch it. And you cannot rewind a little bit--you can only go straight back to the start. This is very frustrating if you miss the cue to change an angle by a second or so. After some time to get familiar, it is possible to work around the flaws, but overall I can't help but feel how much better this would have been if they had somehow corrected them, because it makes the mode very frustrating.

Technically, Driver excels. The physics engine is superb, realistic although applying a touch of the fantasy in order to make the game exciting. Although it can result in your car getting a little bit of air on fairly average ramps, it does add to the whole chase-scene feeling to be flying through the air. The graphics are a bit of a mixed bag, because although the game looks good up close and is well detailed, you don't see too much and there is some serious pop-up. In Reflections' defense, the mini-map in the bottom corner means you'll never be surprised by a cop or blind turn, but after seeing the Transamerica Building pop-up despite being only a block away, you do get somewhat annoyed. The sound is another strong spot, though. The music is rather sparse and doesn't get in the way of the action, but doesn't annoy you. The voices have a B-movie feel which fits in quite well, and are also funny (it's hard not to laugh at Mexican hitman Ticco and his stereotypical "Speedy Gonzales" take on the language). There is also a bit of swearing in this game, which although I feel adds to the whole feeling of the piece, may not sit well with parents (the game is rated Teens). The control is also good, although some would say the analog control is too responsive. I personally think it works well given that you will have to make some quick turns to evade the cops and duck into side streets. Combined with the handbrake and other buttons, you can quickly and intuitively pull off spins and turns.

The game's story mode is simply fantastic. Mind you, the story itself is poor, but the missions are great. Although there isn't all that much variety with missions, the ones you do get are a lot of fun. Some missions you just have to outrun the cops, some make you deliver a car without a scratch, some make you smash another car until it's destroyed. But there is the occasional mission which is totally unique and very different. One has you smashing the front windows in of a chain of restaurants all across town, another, in Die Hard fashion, has you racing from telephone booth to telephone booth to receive instructions from a madman. And even replaying the same old missions are fun, because the cops act in a new way each time. Not only that, Reflections realised how much fun it was to just let drivers explore their cities, and aside from adding a free drive mode to explore, there are also mini-games like Pursuit (you chase someone) to Survival, which in Destruction Derby fashion has insane cops tearing after you. And like Destruction Derby, it's usually over quick, as the cops are out for blood and they are very good.