Previous Next

Hard Drivin' was originally developed as a real driving simulator, designed to help learners get the feel of what it's like to be behind the wheel of a car. However, halfway through development, the programming team wisely decided that the machine would make far more money if it was turned into a coin-op, so they beefed up the specifications of the car, added speed and stunt tracks... and created the highest-grossing arcade game of all time.

The coin-op is an impressive beast, and features very fast filled-3D polygon graphics that create a real-world environment. There are options that let you select an automatic or manual five-speed gearbox, and the car handles very realistically. So how the hell has it been squeezed into an ST? Read on and found out...

As in the arcade game, you're given the choice of an automatic or manual gearbox. Automatic is a must for beginners. Cocky drivers who opt for manual gear change can use the keyboard or a joystick just like a real stick-shift. You can also use a joystick or keyboard for steering, but the mouse gives the best feedback and provides the best feeling of really driving.

Once you've got the controls sussed it's onto the race. There are two tracks to drive on, stunt and speed, and the rules are simple - just drive through one of the checkpoints down the road before the clock runs out to gain extra time. As long as you keep on going through those checkpoints (there are three) you can keep on going. But be prepared to put your foot down, 'cos the time limits get tighter and tighter!

Just like in real life, it's the other road users who make life difficult. Cars and trucks cruise the tracks in both directions and while they don't actually drive dangerously, they do get in the way something chronic. When the clock is ticking down you have to be prepared for some pretty hairy overtaking, and if there's anything coming in the opposite direction... *Kaplooie*!

It's almost worth crashing, though, because whenever you total the car on a building or another vehicle, fly off the loop-the-loop, fail to make the jump over the bridge, the crash is replayed from a remote angle so you can see exactly how you just hospitalised yourself!

At the start of a game, you're given a lap time target. Beat it and you get the chance to challenge the legendary Phantom Photon, a mean computer driver who'll give you a very fast one-lap race around the course. Beat him to the finishing post and your winning lap is kept in memory as the next lap time target - beat your own record and you actually challenge yourself to a race, with the computer car exactly reproducting your winning lap! Brilliant, eh?

Programmer Juergen Friedrich has worked miracles in pouring the proverbial quart into a pint-pot. The arcade game relied on very specialised hardware to produce the 3D graphics, but the ST has reproduced these superbly, and what's more, they hardly slow down at all when things get busy.

Sampled arcade sound effects are in there too, from the screeching of tyres to the distressed cow. But it's the perfect control feedback and the exhilarating sensation of driving unfeasibly fast over unfeasible obstacles that provide one of the greatest racing experiences you'll have on a home computer.

As if you needed any further persuading, Domark are releasing extra track disks early next year to use with Hard Drivin', featuring new cars, tracks and roadside obstacles, and later on in the year they plan to release a full track editor, so you can design and race your own tracks! What more could racing fans ask for?

A stunning conversion that contains all the features of the arcade game and plays brilliantly. An absolute must for all boy racers.