ST Format


Truck Racing

Author: Jon Pillar
Publisher: Zeppelin Games
Machine: Atari ST

 
Published in ST Format #45

Truck Racing

Trucks, it seems, are fun vehicles capable of a fair turn of speed, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary in small villages throughout Britain. It's also a little-known fact that truck-drivers like nothing better than to get together and have a good old race. Cannoning round circuits throughout the world, ramming each other in to the crash barriers, competing for glittering prizes and the chance to be in a dodgily-digitised picture of what appears to be three Formula One drivers taped from Grandstand, these fearless travellers chortle at danger and guffaw at severe injury. And remember, folks, they are the people responsible for transporting dangerous waste and military supplies through your tower hamlet.

Verdict

Well, it's Supercars 2, isn't it, but with trucks, and without the offensive weaponry, or in other words, erm, not Supercars 2 at all. The fact that you've got a dirty great trailer swinging from side to side behind you makes a surprising difference to the gameplay - gone are the days of slipping cheekily through narrow gaps when you're controlling an eighteen-wheeler. Unfortunately, this tends to slow the game down in the sense that charging through the pack tends to lead to more trouble than it's worth. And when you career off the road, getting back on it again is a nightmare, especially if you happen get lodged behind a tree.

The rather neat presentation (there's a very impressive digitised intro), the smooth movement, a stroke of genius in the damage meter and accompanying recuperative pitstops and the utterly mad idea of a truck racing league table all add up to make a good fun game. While it's better with two players, an aggravatingly long vehicle is still no substitute for the blazing mayhem of Supercars 2.

Highs

Good idea, six circuits, competent opponents and pitstops to repair the damage.

Lows

Realistically awkward trucks put a stutter on the action. Of novelty value only.

Jon Pillar

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