I grew up with Road Trip/Choro Q HG 2, and out of curiosity and fondness for that game, I decided to try out the first of the series. Choro Q/Penny Racers has some real feel-good vibes, from the cute model toy cars driving in bright environments to the MIDI soundtrack full of catchy melodic tunes. The driving feels very unwieldly at first, and the collision detection can be really frustrating, but as you get better at handling both these things the game becomes much more enjoyable.

The main Grand Prix mode has an RPG-like progression and customization that's pretty impressive for a racing game of its time. While the content is pretty barebones, the game is short enough for the progression to feel satisfying and not long winded. Overall, a fun light driving game with great tunes and a decent foundation to a series of severely overlooked racing games.