Commodore Format
1st December 1992
Publisher: The Hit Squad
Machine: Commodore 64/128
Published in Commodore Format #27
Test Drive 2: The Duel (Accolade)
Yet more vrooom, this time in real cars meant for real roads, with police cars and even more terrifying than that, other cars coming speeding towards you in the opposite direction. (I wonder when they're going to bring out a racing game based on the new Orion L Popular Plus for the C64?) Porsche versus Ferrari, the endless challenge for supremacy amongst the super cars rages on The Duel's option city - you can choose which one of the super speedy cars you want to take for the ride of a lifetime. There are 12 levels of skill: the first four give you automatic gears, the rest you have to change up and down with the fire button. There's also a fast mode; you can drive faster than the speed of light but there is a loss of detail. The in-game music can get rather annoying after a while - so it's a good job that hitting the Q key toggles the twee tune on and off.
Of course, the real high-speed, super-thrill feel of motor racing could never be transferred fully to the computer screen but if you want the to try and get the feel of road racing rather than staying safely to the grand prix tracks, The Duel is the game for you. There's even a radar detector in the sun visor which comes in very useful when the cops are on your tail. [That sounds like it could be useful! - Ed] If the light flashes and you hear a few beeps then the cops are just round the corner; at which point it's up to you to decide - do you try and outrun the cops or stop and get yourself a speeding ticket?
The Duel is great fun, especially when you crash into the back of the police cars - your windscreen shatters before your eyes. If only I had one of those vibrating chairs...!
Frame Rate
Fab stuff. If it was a choice between buying this and going to one of Veronica's pyjama parties, I know which one I'd choose.