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Drag on your greasy leathers, choose one of 12 major circuits from around the world and roar off on your electronic mean machine.

For each track, you can practice or compete. There are a total of six bikes in each meet. The game can be played by one or two players the screen splits to show both at once - and the computer controls the remainder.

Playing controls include manual or automatic gear change. The bike has six gears and neutral. Each pan of the split screen shows speed, revs and gear selected. Each screen follows its respective rider, which means that sometimes you see your bike on both.

The biggest difference between 500cc Grand Prix and TT Racer also reviewed in this issue - is the method used to show the bike. In this game you see it from behind, and when you bank left or right at a corner you see the bike bank. TT Racer, however, shows the rider's view, and like most flight simulators shows the angle of the horizon changing when you bank at a corner.

I didn't like either of these bike simulations and wonder why there has never been a good bike or car game yet for the Amstrad! Of the two, 500cc Grand Prix is worse. Graphics are very mediocre and sound is the standard boring racing-game brrrrr.

I usually like two-player games, particularly simultaneous racing ones, but this left me cold. The steering is very awkward because of the oversteer, and the computer bikes don t provide much variety. These control difficulties spoil a graphically vary pleasant game. I too preferred TT Racer.

Complete a circuit.

No helmet-visor difficulties here.

Graphics 63%
P. Movement is a lot smoother than TT Racer.
P. Bike depiction is fuzzy.

Sonics 17%
N. Fizzle, spit, pop, pop.
N. No music to rave about.

Grab Factor 37%
P. Easy to get driving.
N. Controls suffer from chronic oversteer.

Staying Power 54%
P. Tough to beat computer.
P. Two-player action is more fun.

Overall 42%
Not as good as TT Racer.