Personal Computer News


Morocco Grand Prix

Author: Mike Gerrard
Publisher: Microdeal
Machine: Dragon 32

 
Published in Personal Computer News #028

Road To Morocco

A game with the title Morocco Grand Prix hardly needs explaining, except to wonder, why Morocco?

Objectives

With a hundred seconds ticking away, you must travel as far as possible along the track, which scrolls down the screen towards your car, avoiding collisions with the other cars, naturally enough. This is a one-player game, and a joystick is essential unless you want to spend the whole game in the pits.

Microdeal says that your joystick, in addition to controlling left and right movements, can be pushed forward for more speed or back for less.

In Play

Morocco Grand Prix

You must first choose which of the three coloured backgrounds to have. Once you've picked one you can't go back and sample the others without reloading the program. Black and white offers the best graphics, the others being green and buff. For some reason the buff screen doesn't allow you to see the seconds on the timer at the side of the track.

Beneath those is your car in the pits, and as it's only the distance covered on the track that matters you must find a gap in the traffic and move over at once.

One limitation is that the track is always straight, though it does change in width as it goes. The other noticeable drawback is that it's possible for two cars to touch without causing a crash.

Morocco Grand Prix

When there is a bump, your own car goes whirling around like a catherine wheel back to the pits, but there's no limit to the number of crashes you can have in your hundred seconds at the wheel. Or rather at the joystick, control of which is perfectly smooth.

The only skill adjustment available is your own choice of speed at which to travel, which is good as very young children would probably find the slowest speed enough for them, while I found the fastest a challenge.

But there are also other faults, in that the table of top ten scores doesn't allow for the input of names, and the instructions have been cut out completely. At the beginning you're thrown straight into the game without warning, and it helps to know at the start whether you're racing against the clock, over a set distance, or whatever.

Verdict

Microdeal's standard pricing policy of £8 for everything means that a simple game such as this is probably overpriced, but for all its rough edges it should give you enough satisfaction if you're keen to race.

Mike Gerrard

Other Dragon 32 Game Reviews By Mike Gerrard


  • Syzygy Front Cover
    Syzygy
  • The Dark Pit Front Cover
    The Dark Pit
  • Death Cruise Front Cover
    Death Cruise
  • Wizard War Front Cover
    Wizard War
  • Air Traffic Control Front Cover
    Air Traffic Control
  • Ninja Warrior Front Cover
    Ninja Warrior
  • Juxta Position - Barons Of Ceti V Front Cover
    Juxta Position - Barons Of Ceti V
  • Death Mines of Sirus Front Cover
    Death Mines of Sirus
  • Endless Noughts And Crosses Front Cover
    Endless Noughts And Crosses
  • Movie Producer Front Cover
    Movie Producer