Previous Next

Beep, Beep!! Parp, Parp!! Brrmmm, Brrmmm!! If roaring around a crowded race-track at 200mph is what tickles your fancy, then carry on reading...

Supercars from Gremlin is a new race game viewed, like Atari's Supersprint, from above. The difference between this and Supersprint is that Supercars scrolls, and in any direction you care to point your banger (f'nar, f'nar!). The tracks are quite large, and the choice of nine is presented before you begin. This is not the only choice you are given; a fairly comprehensive options screen is there for your use, and includes a garage in which you can purchase lots of goodies with which to upgrade your hunk of junk - and boy, does it need upgrading!

In the first couple of races, your car bumbles aimlessly around the track like somebody's granny going to collect her pension. As you progress through the "season", though, the going gets harder, the prize-money piles up, and your purchasing power grows greater...

Hazards encountered as you power down the tarmac include oil slicks, puddles, and - last, but not least - the other racers. These guys have a most distressing habit of getting in your way, just as you're tearing around a corner, invariably sandwiching you between a wall or another car.

Keep an eye on your gauges, too, as running out of fuel or blowing your tyres are both potentially embarrassing ways to lose a race (and the season!).

The garage and the shop are the two most important strategic areas in the game. In the garage you can choose from a good variety of power-ups, including a turbo-charger to boost your acceleration, a top speed enhancement kit, power steering (essential for grief-free cornering), and, strangely enough, a small selection of missiles with which to murder unwary opponents.

This, you will soon discover, is not necessarily a wise thing to do, as the burned-out shells of your victims lie where they are hit, and smashing into them at at 150mph is not advisable.

Controls are simple - push the stick left, and the car rotates anti-clockwise, push right and - believe it or not! - the car rotates clockwise! The Fire button controls acceleration, and you really won't have much need of the brakes...

It is a lovely control method in practice, and coasting along the correct line through a bend is a joy to behold. A quick push up (ack, ack), and any weapon you are currently holding will shoot off (hoo, hoo) - [Sorry about this - Ed], and annihilate any car foolish enough to cross your path.

Deciding which features to purchase first is a difficult decision, and one which can change the way the course of the game runs. Buying the wrong lump of kit could have tragic consequences just a couple of tracks later.

The progressive difficulty of this game is a novel feature, in that your lap times, level, equipment and lap position, all contribute the speed of your future opponents.

Your real goal, however, is not to get your lap times down, nor is it to finish all of the tracks. No, your real ambition should be the acquisition of the world's fastest road car - the Retron Parsec Turbo. This baby can really shift 0-60 in less time than it takes to do something really quick. Top speed... unknown. This car is faster than a big bag of really fast things. It'll cost you, though, and several races will have be won before you can get your sweaty hands on this particular bit of swag.

In the meantime, you will have to content yourself with one of the lesser cars available, such as a Taraco Neoroader, or the slightly superior Vaug Interceptor.

Graphically, this game won't knock your socks off. It has been programmed in the four-colour mode and, as a result, looks a bit drab. However, the graphics are clean and detailed, and the multi-directional scrolling is smooth enough to portray the action well.

The scrolling itself gives this game an edge over the usual Supersprint scenario, and definitely adds to the action. You're unable to see far ahead, there is always something nasty lurking round a comer, be it an oil slick, mud, or a wrecked opponent - and reactions must be swift.

The in-game music is nice 'n' boppy, and suits the game well. Gameplay, however, is what really makes this title shine. The car handles superbly. The movement is just right, and the car slides round corners in a most convincing manner. You soon learn tricks, like powering through turns in order to gain traction, or buying side armour and bumping your hapless competitors off the road...

Different techniques are required for different tracks, and during the game's early (easy) stages it gives you a chance to experiment with different styles of play.

Gremlin has again come up with a cracker. Supercars is just right. Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn between this and Supersprint, but Supercars is a great game in its own right, with a great variety of options and an even larger selection of tracks. It'll be a very long time before you "tyre" [That would be a joke in Scotland - Ed] of this one.

Easily one of the best racers available on the Amstrad, this one is an essential purchase for budding Nigel Mansells.

Buy the Retron Parsec

Graphics 72%
Nicely drawn, if a little bland, but scrolling is fairly smooth.

Sonics 81%
Good in-game music and the odd spot effect.

Grab Factor 86%
Easy to get into, and good fun to play. Instant addiction

Staying Power 89%
Lots of tracks, lots of cars, and lots of goodies to buy.

Overall 87%
Supersprint for the '90s. Fun, playable and long-lasting.