I lost this one in that wonderful Christmas hubbub; French Touch Software announced on the 23rd that their Mac-only 3D racing game WaterRace has shipped and they've released a new version of the demo.

The new demo (v1.1) offers the following new and improved features:

Gameplay:

• new ship: Formula 1
• new levels: Artic & Halong
• improved camera
• adaptative AI (the bots now wait for the human player so he/she does not race alone)
• a bit less difficult

Technical:

• fixed a problem with the error messages displayed when QD3D was not installed
• now renders using the Apple Software engine on 3Dfx V3 cards; you need to trash the WaterRace preference file located inside the "FrenchTouch" folder of the Preferences folder.
• mouse support (hidden option)

Note:

• If you have installed MacOS X Beta, you need to remove the "Classic Rave7quot; extension located inside the Extensions folder to play WaterRace
• If you are in trouble controlling the ships, read the enclosed "Ship Driving tips" text file
• 3Dfx V3 compatibility with WaterRace is not assured anymore, since 3Dfx went out of business before their Mac driver team was able to fix the remaining bugs which should have been fixed in 1.1.3 final

The v1.0.1 patch for the full version will be released, "...later on." In the meantime, a French version of the demo is now available as well.

Pre-orders for WaterRace are no longer being accepted, and the CD can be purchased (with printed user's manual) for US $39 (international shipping & handling included) only from the FrenchTouch website. Check back with Applelinks for a full review in mid January.

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