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At long last, the official version of Pole Postion has appeared for the Spectrum, and "was it worth the wait?" I hear you all ask. Well, yes it probably was. I have a few minor criticisms of the game, but I still think that it's about the best racing game yet produced for the Spectrum.

The controls are simple, just left/right, brake and change gear. However, staying on the track and not crashing into everything in sight is a little trickier. The graphics are very good — the movement of the track and landscape are very clear and smooth, better than on any of the game's competitors, — and there are virtually no attribute problems.

The graphics for the other cars on the track though, are a bit blobbly and move fairly jerkily, and, when you crash, there is a definite pause before the explosion effect appears on screen. It would also be nice if there were more than just two gears (Lo/Hi), as this would make the driving a little more challenging. p> Apart from those flaws the game is enjoyably addictive. The pace is sufficiently frantic to keep you interested for a while — this is not a game that will be mastered in 10 minutes — just getting past the qualifying round took me ages. Possibly, at £7.95 it is a little expensive bearing in mind how old the arcade game is, but if you're a fan of the game then it's an awful lot cheaper than pouring coins into a slot.

C.J.