The scene is the Clifton Center, Arizona. Your dragster is ready on the
track and so is that of your opponent Pete Piston. Out comes the track
marshall who waves you forward. Your support team of mechanics gives you
the required push and Pete's crew does the same for him. Then comes the
instruction to start engines. You build up the revs, slip her into gear
and you're off, hurtling down the track in hot pursuit of Pete.
Your aim is to beat Pete to the winning post one quarter of a miledown
the track. Success will up your rating from novice to rookie and you can
then try your skill against Tex Turbo.
Beat him and you become a pro and face Clint Clutch, and then on to Sam
Servo who is demonically fast. If you get past him, you're a faster
driver than me.
Your accelerator pedal consists of the greater than and less than keys. These
must be hit alternately as fast as you can. The spacebar serves as the gear
change and as far as I can discover you can only change up through the gears.
If you go into top gear too early, the car's lack of torque will mean a loss of
acceleration and certain defeat. It all means that you need not only really
nifty fingers, but also a good sense of timing.
As is so often the case in this type of game, both cars stay still and
together in the centre of the screen while the background, in this case
white lines, scrolls past.
The display gives no indication of who is winning, which means it is
essential to read the distance indicators as well as your rev counter and
speedometer. It's a game that will keep your eyes and fingers busy.
Sadly, winning a single race may not be enough. You take part in three races
against each opponent and you only win if your fastest time is better than his.
The graphics are neat and tidy, as they should be with so little on-screen
movement. My favourite feature is the parachute that slows you down at the
end of the race.
The sound gives you a good idea of the speed you are travelling, but is
rather unimaginative.
My main concern is that this type of game is bad for keyboards it is almost
impossible to avoid hammering the poor keys.