Chances are that you won’t have heard of the Beri Beri Densetsu manga comic - it’s your 'average sporting underdog does good' fare, set in the hot-headed world of superbike racing.
The Beri Beri Densetsu videogame on the other hand, made quite a name for itself back in the PC Engine's early days (despite its ridiculous title: 'beri beri' is the japanese sound for a revving engine - so the title could be translated as 'Vroom Vroom Legend').
At first sight this may look like nothing but a straightforward motorbike romp, but after a couple of games it turns out that Taito have in fact come up with a surprisingly fast, slick, and challenging racer. Added to this it was one of the PC Engine's only quality '3D' racers for a surprising amount of years.
So. Get on that bike, qualify, and it's off you go to score some championship points. One of the first things you'll notice is that most courses can be taken full speed, and the weather is completely haphazard. Yup - regardless whether you are racing in Brazil or the U.K., it always tends to burst into torrents of rain in mid-race, for no good reason at all. And you can't pit to change tires... Well, hey - there's only one thing for it: accurate tuning, careful tire selection, and a lot of luck.
Luck is the word: the game's fiercest catch is that in the 16-round WGP mode, passwords are only given every 4 races - and each grand prix is long, coarse, and taxing on the nerves... Course memorisation is thus key, along with some pure and undiluted racing guffaw.
Taito did alright here: although the gameplay might be a little too quick at times, considering its age this is a slick, tight and adrenaline-fueled racing title with a polished front end, Zuntata soundtrack, and a lot of do-or-dare tension; particularly well-suited to the PC Engine GT, and those with speed in their blood.

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