When I got my first MSX machine, I was impressed by the aesthetics, but was a little underwhelmed by the game quality. It generally seemed to have the least impressive port of many hit games. As time grew on, I came to realize that it was a little underpowered compared to some of its peers, but also that there were exceptions in which it had very good ports, and it also had a lot of exclusives when it came to the home computer market.

But before that realization, there was High Way Star. High Way Star impressed me right from the start. It has a really catchy tune, and the graphics are well done with in terms of aesthetics and scrolling.

If you look at it, you might quickly dismiss it as a Rally X clone. But actually, this game has quite a bit more going on than Rally X did. For example, you are in charge of your own fuel. There are gas stations on the map, and you can stop in there anytime, but you have to be ready to stop fueling as soon as you see an enemy charging at you. And there are tunnels and overpasses, so getting where you're going isn't always as easy as it looks, and it can affect how you react to an enemy car coming on screen. Instead of having all flags available for retrieval at any time, they only set out one flag at a time and you have to get them in the designated order. There are also bonuses to pick up along the way.