Previous Next

The National, a horse racing management game. Well, is that not the strangest of coincidences? The National is a thoroughbred game, from the same stable as Football Director one of my all-time favourites.

The idea is a very old and obvious one but the implementation is spot on for addictiveness. As a great lover of both managerial games and racing of the equine kind, I could scarsely fail to be attracted to such a piece of software.

The aim is very simple; you must finish a season of racing, both flat and jumping, and hope to end on top of the trainers, league. That is far easier said than done. Many factors can prevent you doing so, not least the fact that all the other trainers are far better than you and seem to have an unlimited supply of money.

You start the season with a tiny stable of four horses, the minimum allowed, and none of them has the class to enter the major races, although they have the potential. Thus a quick stop at the horse auction is necessary, where it is possible to buy the next National winner. This is another problem, because you have a limited supply of cash and good horses cost money. Money can be gained in two ways, by betting on races or by winning races.

The races are not easy to win and some of them seem to be constantly beyond your grasp, even though you may have the best horse at the time. Jockeys also determine the overall winner and there is a jockey table available, so you can choose the best at that time, based on their form that season. Weight, age, class and current form are also contributory factors, so there is plenty of strategical thinking to be undertaken if you wish to win.

The presentation throughout is of a very professional standard, although sometimes the wait between keypresses and action can be slightly too long.

The race could also have been improved, as it takes too long to produce the winner and there are no pretty graphics to distract you. I liked the National. It certainly appealed to me and, as the only game available which deals with horse management, it seems a sure-fire winner for any who wish to dabble in that genre.

The National is available only by mail-order. The address to target cheques, postal orders or enquiries to is D&H Games, 19 Melne Road, Stevenage, Herts SG2 8LL.