Imagine the scene: It's June 10th, 2007. You and all your MotoGP fan friends are gathered around your TV / computer / video ready for the Catalunya GP from Barcelona. You have a fridge full of cold beer and good food, a room full of company, and a body full of adrenaline, in anticipation of the spectacle to come. Then, the local nuclear power station explodes and showers you with radiation. But far, far worse than this, you're going to miss the race. What are you going to do?

Well, now there's a solution: You break out your Table MotoGP game, and run the race yourself! The game consists of 6 boards representing race tracks, 19 miniature MotoGP bikes in the correct, if not realistic, colors for the 2006 season, a set of cards representing factors such as fuel, crashes or extra horsepower, dice, and score sheets. The tracks consist of a number of squares, to be negotiated by throwing the dice. The squares carry perils and penalties, with a danger of crashing around corners, and forfeiting fuel down the fast straights. You can even get called into the pits for a ride-through penalty (caused by throwing three sixes in a row from the start). Once you're done with the six tracks supplied, you can purchase add-on packs of eleven extra tracks.

Having read the instructions, I have to say it all sounds rather complicated, and may become a little confusing once you and your assembled band of MotoGP fans have worked your way through most of the contents of the fridge. But it definitely looks like it might be a fun way of passing a wet winter evening before the season starts in earnest.

Table MotoGP has one more thing to recommend it: The version of the Assen track includes the old layout, with the old, long, and spectacular North Loop. On its own, almost reason enough to buy it. But don't take my word for it, take the word of one of the game's biggest fans: Randy Mamola!