A little competition. Look at these screenshots of Mountain Bike Racer and see if you can work out what they remind you of. When you've figured it out, write it on a postcard and send it to Zeppelin, or on second thoughts don't bother.
They must realise perfectly well that MBR is staggeringly similar to Gremlin's Motorbike Madness; take the engine out and it's practically the same game. This is a pity, since Zeppelin started off doing very original stuff, and it would be a pity if they ended up resorting to pinching concepts from other companies.
Anyhow, rather than just referring you to the review of Motorbike Madness, here's the idea; you control a mountain bike pedalling furiously left-to-right across a scrolling background. Different sorts of terrain and obstacle require different techniques; for brick ramps you have to pedal very slowly, for stone ramps very quickly, for jumps you need a lot of speed and a jump, for bumps you need a particular wiggle - you get the idea. To make life difficult, you get a ramp followed by a gap followed by a lump, and that's one level one. Easy-Peasy!
Finish a level and you get to visit the nice young lady in the bike shop - depending on how much dosh you make for finishing the level before the timer runs out, she'll sell you lots of nice bits for your bike - ice chains, oil. new lyres and like that. No Batman radio, I'm sorry to note.
Level Two looks remarkably like Level One expect it's a different colour, and there are twelve levels in all.
Nice clean graphics, precise joystick control, decent sounds and a tough old challenge; a pity it isn't more original.
Label: Zeppelin
Author: Stephen Anderson & David Taylor
Price: £2.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins