Commodore User


Racing Destruction Set

Publisher: Ariolasoft
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Commodore User #24

Racing Destruction Set

At first glance, Racing Destruction Set looks pretty interesting. A racing game with a difference - several differences actually. You can design your own circuit using straights, bends, ramps, etc. If your imagination is lacking, fifty of them are provided on the disk or tape.

You can choose and customise your own vehicle, anything from a Stingray to a lunar rover. If you're not happy with your bog standard lunar rover you can change the tyres or engine and a few other things besides.

If straight racing doesn't amuse you (i.e. whizzing round the track trying to beat the other guy), you can go in for destruction (trying to bomb the other guy off the road). Though for this you'll need to stock up with a few weapons at the customisation stage. If you still want to mess around you can alter the gravity. Earth, Venus, Saturn and Uranus are the options available - wacky.

The race itself takes place on a 3D track split over two screens so you can see both cars even if they're not on the same section of track. You go round and round and round for the preset number of laps, then, when you've finished, the computer tells you who's won and the time. You don't have to steer the car, just made the odd alteration to course and speed to avoid crashing, which seems to happen quite frequently regardless. To describe the pace as pedestrian would be doing it a favour.

In short, this game has no problem in qualifying as one of the dullest games I've seen on the C64. For all the messing about with the vehicles, circuits and gravity, the race itself is as boring as hell.