TRANS-EUROPE: THE ORIGINAL STAGES

HERE’S OUR STAGE-BY-STAGE BREAKDOWN OF THE EUROPEAN LEG

START PALM BEACH

■ As in the original Out Run, your journey begins on a sunkissed coast under brilliant blue skies. This course provides a gentle introduction to the game as you wind through the resort, with the only challenge being the tricky chicane before the split.

THIRD COLUMN - A CASTLE WALL

■ The stronghold is an impressive sight but there’s no nice straight avenue leading up to it. Instead the route weaves through the structure, ducking under bridges and taking in a series of sweeping S-bends where drifting is mandatory.

FOURTH COLUMN - A CLOUDY HIGHLAND

■ An appropriate title for sure. Clouds reduce visibility as the road scrapes the sky before dipping majestically down into the valley below. Drifting is not really necessary until you negotiate the S-bend as you climb back out of the valley.

FOURTH COLUMN - D GHOST FOREST

■ Another forest stage, and this one looks rather foreboding at first thanks to its gloomy look, but it’s not too tricky. It’s best to ease off and drive most of the course, drifting only for the sharp right-hander and S-bend right at the end.

FINAL COLUMN - C ANCIENT RUINS

■ Sandstorms obscure your view as you approach an arid Goal C. It starts tamely but the difficulty ramps up as the road narrows through the canyon. Then it’s one big drift as you slide left and right and left again to the finish.

SECOND COLUMN - A DEEP LAKE

■ This fast, generally flat course spans the lake on a series of four-lane bridges. None of the corners are taxing which means you can take them flat out without drifting, although precise positioning is required to navigate the final left-hander.

THIRD COLUMN - B CONIFEROUS FOREST

■ Your drive through the tree-covered uplands is a dangerous one. Low branches obscure your view and tricky turns line the route. Why this challenging course appears so early on is a mystery. As least it’s in the middle so you can avoid it.

FOURTH COLUMN - B INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

■ This ugly sprawl seems like a million miles from the beautiful surroundings of Palm Beach. On the plus side it’s perhaps the fastest course in the game, with plenty of wide straights and easy drifting corners to really open up on.

FINAL COLUMN - A TULIP GARDEN

■ The windmills dotted around the landscape suggest we’re in the Netherlands and it’s the setting for a nice drive to the Goal A finish. Apart from an erratic mid-section and a nasty chicane near the finish, this is a pleasant end to your journey.

FINAL COLUMN - D IMPERIAL AVENUE

■ When in Rome you’ll want to perform an epic right-hand drift around the Colosseum and then race through the ancient capital on a surprisingly straightforward path to Goal D, ending in St Peter’s Square in front of the Basilica.

SECOND COLUMN- B ALPINE

■ We’re up in the Alps so you can expect stunning views as you race up and over the range. Two curved tunnels carve a route into the side of the mountain and the first one is slightly sneaky, so ease off to avoid hitting the tunnel wall on the exit.

THIRD COLUMN - C DESERT

■ Unlike the barren desert course of the original game, this one takes place at the Pyramids Of Giza, and indeed sees you navigating a demanding double S-bend around the Great Pyramid itself. We’ll still take it over Coniferous Forest.

FOURTH COLUMN - C SNOWY MOUNTAIN

■ The route twists its way through an icy gorge. It’s generally fine until you pass under the viaduct, at which point it twists up and around the mountainside. Another one to avoid if you’re looking for a fast time to the finish line.

FINAL COLUMN - B METROPOLIS

■ Who doesn’t love Paris by night? The road snakes through the city, veering to the right around the Eiffel Tower before passing Notredame and entering a fast underpass which takes you to the Arc De Triomphe and Goal B.

FINAL COLUMN - E CAPE WAY

■ We’re in Greece for the last leg of the journey, touring quaint coastal villages. As you’d expect this is the most challenging final stage, thanks to the demanding S-bends which lead you up the hillside to the Goal E finish at the top.