Your Sinclair


Formula One Simulator

Publisher: Mastertronic
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Your Sinclair #11

Formula One

Hmm. A driving game for under two quid? Okay, I'll play it. It can't be that good. (Brrrmmmmmm Screeeeee brrrr clank brrrrrr screeeee brrrmm!!!) Hey, that wasn't too bad. Let's take a closer look.

I was a bit worried by the bit in the instructions which suggested that in order to "help you get the feel of the car" you have to "use a sellotape tin or similar object" and "position it on the top row of keys". Whaat! Well, ignoring the obvious charm of fixing stationery leftovers on my keyboard, let's press on to the game itself. You have a choice of ten world famous tracks to choose from, automatic or manual gearbox, and wet or dry conditions. You also have the option to merely practice or qualify/race. This means you can either pootle around the track if you're not very sure, or belt round in record time like a real pro. The graphics are not all that brilliant, using the crushingly awful green, white and cyan combination to truly terrible effect for the grass, track and sky. That being said, they don't clash that much, and I s'pose they do the job. The gameplay is the usual stunt of making it round the track as fast as possible without driving into the obituary columns. 'Cos the track is white against green, it's a bit hard to tell that you're actually moving at all, until you hit a curve at 140 mph, but once you get the hang of that it's quite exciting. Having more than one life would be a benefit, but I guess that steps up the pressure to make you be more careful. My only other criticism is that although you can see your arms on the steering wheel and the front of your car, they don't move when you steer, and this would have been very easy to do.

All in all, this is a cheap and cheerful alternative to some of the more expensive driving games. Squealing good fun.