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There have been a variety of Grand Prix games. This one, the Atari version, is the original. The idea is quite simple. You control a grand prix car and your task is to win the race.

You are given a view of your car from behind with the road disappearing in the distance. As the road twists and turns, you must follow it and avoid leaving the road. At best leaving the road loses time: at worst, your car crashes. To add to the anguish, there are opposing cars to overtake.

As in normal racing, there are preliminaries to be dealt with before you race. To help you get your hand in, there is a practice option. This is valuable since it gives you the chance to get a feel for the circuit and to practise accelerating and gear shifting. Once you've got it sussed, there's a small matter of qualifying. This race is a nominal 90 seconds long, but you must complete the race in 73 seconds to qualify. Depending on your finishing time in qualification, your position in the starting grid for the main race is decided.

The graphics are typical for this type of game with smooth scrolling of the track. The feeling of movement is enhanced by the signs which change size and position as they approach. The game is fast and quite testing but in the light of the fact that there are one or two games of comparable quality about, its release is probably too late.

A.W.