Super Cars

Select your car and strap on the extras. Then power your way through 27 stages of highway horror engaging in mile after mile of motorised combat.

Scenario

Super Cars is set in a pseudo-fantasy world with fictitious cars battling for Championship supremacy on a spine-chilling and perilous circuit in the middle of a desert viewed from overhead. Each track consists of tortuous turns, straights, tunnels and bends which become progressively more perilous as you speed your way through the levels. Other hazards include mud, water and oil on the tracks which have a variety of effects on speeding cars. As you progress through the game, the amount of opponents you race against and the on-track hazards increase at an alarming and unnerving rate.

Gameplay

You start the game with a credit of £5,000. You can choose to view the specifications of the cars available, go into the sales office or start racing straight away. To select your option, use the pointer (a white hand) to click on the option of your choice and then press Fire.

The Specification Screens

Each car has its own specification screen. The information includes details on engine variation, top speed, dimensions and a brief description of the car's capabilities. To view any of the screens, simply place the pointer over the relevant car and press Fire.

Please note: This option is not available on Spectrum and Amstrad cassette versions.

The Sales Office

The salesman will offer you a trade-in price for your old car - the amount offered is dependent on its condition. You have the choice of handing over the asking price or bartering with him for a bargain. Place the pointer on the information bar at the bottom of the screen and press Fire when you want to speak, and then on the line relevant to your answer to him.

Be careful not to push him too far otherwise he might throw you out of his office altogether. If this is the case, you will have to compete in another race before being allowed entry again. To exit from the sales office, place the pointer on the exit door and press Fire.

The option to barter is not available on the Spectrum, Amstrad and Commodore.

The Garage

You can enter the garage at the beginning of the game or at any interval in between races. This is where you make the essential repairs to your car's engine, bodywork and tyres. You can also purchase extra fuel here.

To improve your on-track performance and increase your chances of winning, you can also buy a range of "optional extras" from the garage:

1. Power Steering
   Essential for decreasing your turning circle and allowing for faster corner-taking.
2. Turbo-Charger
   Use this to increase your acceleration rate. This option is particularly useful when running into patches of mud which slow your car down.
3. High Speed Kit
   Increases your maximum speed - invaluable on the straights!
4. Retro
   Use this for faster braking.
5. Front Missile
   You can only buy one of these per race. Fire it when an opponent is directly in front to ensure a total write-off plus a hazardous obstruction for all other cars behind.
6. Rear Missile
   Blow any persistent tail-ender out of the race - but like the front missile, you can only buy one per race.
7. Spin Assist
   You will need this if your car is thrown into an uncontrollable skid caused by either oil or water. Spin Assist will always point your car in the right direction.
8. Side Armour
   Use this to send any other vehicle into an uncontrollable spin simply by ramming it.

Place the pointer on the special feature or boxes marked Tyres, Fuel, Engine or Body that you want to buy. As the till rings up the sale, your money total is decreased accordingly. You can only use the extras that you buy in the following race. Anything not used will be cancelled out and you will have to buy it again for any future race.

To leave the garage, place the pointer on the exit door and press Fire. To begin the first stage, you select a track numbered from one to nine. Place the pointer on the track number that you want to race in and press Fire.

You will start the competition in a Taraco Neoroder Turbo because you will not be able to afford a smarter set of wheels until you have earned some prize money.

You can race the tracks in any order you want. You must however race all nine tracks before you can advance onto the next stage. At this point, a password will appear automatically on the screen. Press Fire to continue onto the next level. (Blank boxes appear at the end of these instructions for you to record the passwords so that you can go straight onto the second and third levels at any time after having completed the first stage.)

On the cassette versions the tracks are stored sequentially, and so in this instance it will save you time if you race the tracks in the correct order.

You will have to come within the first three competitors during any race to qualify for the next round. Fourth or worse means you are out of the competition! Failure of either fuel, tyres, bodywork or engine whilst racing will also result in disqualification.

Playing Tips

1. Press the Fire button to move your car forward. Then move the joystick either left or right to steer.
2. When screeching into a bend, try taking your finger off the Fire button but still steering. This has the effect of a handbrake turn!
3. If you have to drive through an oil slick on one of the straights, make sure your car is going in a straight line to ensure a controllable slide.
4. Always use the front or rear missile on the straights. If you hit and immobilise a car, it will cause a massive pile-up on the next lap!

Screen Display

The dashboard of your car constantly monitors the condition of tyres, engine wear and bodywork. These conditions deteriorate accordingly as you race, dependent on tyre screeches, engine speed and damage sustained to bodywork from collisions with either course or other vehicles. Your current position and laps covered are also displayed.

Game Controls

O - Steer Left, P - Steer Right, Q - Fire Front Missile, A - Fire Back Missile, SPACE - Accelerate

ESCAPE - Quit Game, P - Pauses Game

Game Credits

© Magnetic Fields (Software Design) Limited 1990
© Gremlin Graphics Software Limited 1990