When Sonic and Tails come across a billboard advertising this World Grand Prix, the fox boy thinks they should enter. Sonic's not so quick, however, as participating in races isn't really his thing. But trashing Robotnik is, and when he spots the Eggman's name on the roster, he's on the case.

   Knuckles decided to enter after getting wind of Sonic's participation. Amy signed up after secretly overhearing Robotnik's plan.

   The idea, obviously, is to win the race. First, second, or third will do for all general purposes. And that, essentially, is all you need to know to beat the game. But by playing it straight, you'll be missing out on the best Sonic R has to offer...

• Resort Island -- Trademark Sonic environment #1: tropical island paradise, complete with palm trees, waterfalls, and a variety of flowers. The mountains in the background look like they're from NiGHTS' Spring Valley, though...
• Radical City -- Trademark Sonic environment #2: futuristic aerial highway under the stars. There's a giant pinball board with Sonic's mug texture-mapped over the bottom at one point in the stage. There's alot of straightaways, so a speedy character (like Sonic or Metal Sonic) is your best bet.
• Regal Ruin -- Trademark Sonic environment #3: the crumbling ruins of an ancient civilization. (Note the echidna-headed sphinxes.) This labyrinthine course has alot of sharp turns, so you'll want a character with good cornering (like Tails or Amy).
• Reactive Factory -- Trademark Sonic environment #4: a metallic, pollution-spouting factory. Actually, take away the pollution-spouting part...Reactive Factory's about as clean as they come. It's a lulu, though...
• Radiant Emerald -- This is the stuff Special Stages are made of. The final course, Radiant Emerald only becomes selectable after you've placed first in the original four courses. You won't find any of the usual shortcuts or hidden goodies, either: it's a straightforward race to the end, and the only thing you'll find along the way are Rings. The Saturn version sports completely transparent graphics, while the PC version opts for psychadelic lighting effects. Either way, it looks awesome.

   Once you think you know by heart where the Tokens are located and how to reach them, get to it. Collect all five and finish the race in a ranking position (first, second, or third) for the reward: a one-on-one race against one of the four secret characters. Metal Sonic (in Resort Island), Tails Doll (in Radical City), Eggrobo (in Regal Ruin), or Metal Knuckles (in Reactive Factory). Win the race, and that character becomes playable.

   And what of the Chaos Emeralds? You'll find two in each course except for Resort Island (which only has one) and Radiant Emerald (which doesn't have any). They're usually hidden well out of the way (sometimes even requiring you to go BACKwards) and behind colorful gates that require 20 or 50 Rings to open. Collect the Rings, open the gate, nab the Emerald, then finish the race in first place...anything less, and you don't get to keep the gem. Should you manage to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds, Super Sonic becomes a playable character.

   The only real obstacle you'll face on any of the courses is water. Avoid h20 like the plague...it slows you down to minimum speed and you can't jump out. Characters like Amy, Robotnik, and Tails Doll can hover right over it and find some great shortcuts (which can sometimes make up for their lack of speed), but in general, avoid getting wet whenever possible.

   From the start, only four characters (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy) and four courses (Resort Island, Radical City, Regal Ruin, and Reactive Factory) are playable. The fifth course (Radiant Emerald) becomes playable after the first four are completed, and Dr. Robotnik becomes playable after Radiant Emerald is completed. The other four hidden characters are obtained as explained above. Naturally, each character controls a bit differently. Here's how things stack up:

• Sonic -- He's the fastest of the default racers, but also has the loosest handling. His special move is a double jump and the Spin Dash.
  • Max Speed: ****
  • Acceleration: **
  • Handling: **
  • Grip: ***
  • Jumping Ability: ***
• Tails -- Decent speed, plus he accelerates and corners well. He can fly for short distances and also perform the Spin Dash.
  • Max Speed: **
  • Acceleration: ***
  • Handling: **
  • Grip: ****
  • Jumping Ability: ***
• Knuckles -- The all-round balanced racer, Knuckles has equal parts speed and handling. He can also perform the Spin Dash as well as glide.
  • Max Speed: ***
  • Acceleration: **
  • Handling: ***
  • Grip: ***
  • Jumping Ability: ***
• Amy -- The slowest of the group, but she also has the best acceleration. With her red convertible she can hover right over water. Her special move is the Turbo Boost, which shoots her ahead in a short burst of speed. (After performing the Turbo Boost, it takes a few seconds to charge up again.)
  • Max Speed: *
  • Acceleration: ****
  • Handling: *
  • Grip: **
  • Jumping Ability: *
• Robotnik -- Low max speed, but with excellent cornering. He can also hover right over water in his Egg-Mobile, and can fire homing missiles at his opponents.
  • Max Speed: **
  • Acceleration: ***
  • Handling: ****
  • Grip: *
  • Jumping Ability: *
• Metal Sonic -- Like an extreme version of Sonic. He's even faster, but forget about handling. He has the highest jump of all the racers.
• Tails Doll -- Best acceleration of the crew, but has no grip and a very light, "floaty" feel. He floats right over water, and has an unusual "hover" move. Well he's just weird, you have to play as him to understand...
• EggRobo -- Big, clunky, and slow. He gets my vote for most useless character in the game. On the bright side, his homing missile reaches even farther than Robotnik's.
• Metal Knuckles -- Probably the all-round best racer in the group. He's fast, has good handling, and his glide puts Knuckles' to shame.
• Super Sonic -- Just like Sonic, except he's faster and has better handling and cornering. Actually, once you've got Super Sonic, there's no need to use regular Sonic ever again...

   You'll find Item Panels placed here and there around the courses. Smack into 'em for one of the following goodsies:

• Rings -- You get the amount specified
• Fleet Feet -- Temporarily raises your speed
• Lightning Shield -- Draws rings in like a magnet. Dissipates if you fall underwater.
• Water Shield -- Instantly become religious as you walk on the water! You can only use it once, though.
• Big 5 Ring -- Adds five Rings to your total
• Big 10 Ring -- Adds ten Rings to your total
• Big 20 Ring -- Adds twenty Rings to your total

   Accelerators blast you ahead at obscene speeds, but also drains your Rings. The ride lasts until you're down 50 golden hoops, so it's better to avoid Accelerators when you're after Chaos Emeralds. Becaaause you'll have to open a Ring Gate to get to 'em. Ring gates are giant doors with one of two numbers on them: 20 or 50. The gate will only open if you've collected the specified number of Rings (although all racers can enter after just one opens the door). The 20 Ring Gates generally lead to shortcuts or Sonic Tokens. The 50 Ring Gates invariably lead to Chaos Emeralds (barring the ones in Radiant Emerald), so don't pass those up.

   There's still more to do once you've uncovered everything in the normal game (which shouldn't take more than a couple sittings unless you suck). Head into the Time Attack mode to play one of four mini-games: Normal, Reverse, Balloon, and Tag Battle. In normal, it's a race to get the best time on the course of your choice. Reverse is the same, except the course is mirrored. In Balloon, you must find and pop five of the ten balloons scattered around the course. Tag Team is the neatest...your four opponents start a few seconds ahead of you. Your goal is to chase down and "tag" each one in the least amount of time possible.