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Another release by the ambitious Amsoft Gold department involves taking the role of a formula one racing driver. Such games have been made famous in the past by the likes of Atarisoft's Pole Position but this is one straight from the Amsoft fold.

As is the norm with racing games, you are offered a choice of circuits to compete on. In this game there are eight to choose from; Zandvoort, Sitverstone, Anderstorp, Jarama, Roeur, Brands Hatch, Kyahami and Mosport. You have to success-fully drive your car around all the courses. Being successful counts as finishing the race between first and third after three laps. You then qualify to race on the next circuit.

When sat in the driving seat, you have two wing mirror views and a gear selector display, apart from the obligatory forward view. Gear selection is important as the car's performance suffers if it's not in the right gear for the speed. Wing mirrors are useful to find out just who's behind you — overtaking drivers have no manners in this game! They cut in front of you whenever they can.
Unlike some other race games, this one does not kill you off when you crash. You simply come to a very sudden halt and several other cars overtake you before you get back on the circuit again. Other features of the game include a scrolling back-drop, warning signs and a plethora of sound effects.

Control keys:
Z (LEFT);
X (RIGHT);
'PLUS' (ACCELERATE);
? (BRAKE);
SPACE (CHANGE GEAR).

CRITICISM

There certainly are some good effects in this game.
The courses are hard, and there are plenty of them. The sound effects are really good through the stereo adaptor. After that, there's not a lot to recommend it. The wing mirror is a good idea but badly done; you can turn an extreme corner but the mirror doesn't notice. Actually have the same pavilion? Whether they have or not isn't realty important as you'll soon find yourself, wind in your hair, gritting your teeth, trying to finish a pretty compelling game.

First impressions led me to believe this would be a remarkable game. Playing it for a while modified my opinion slightly. The other cars on the track have a tendency to behave unrealistically at times and this can become annoying. Some aspects of the car are badly drawn but you don't normally notice the details. I did think that it was very playable.

This is a very challenging race game. The circuits are varied and well chosen. The graphics are eye catching and the sound has some interesting features. It isn't perfect, however. Gear change is sluggish and some of the other cars move jerkily. By the time you get half way through the game, this can make your work difficult. On the other hand, the pace is a suitably fast one which should test your dext-erity considerably. In all, I think that the game's good points out-weigh its bad ones. If you're looting for a racing game then so far this is the best of its kind on the Amstrad.

Presentation 64%
Mediocre packaging.

Graphics 85%
Impressive in parts but there are some annoying glitches.

Sound 73%
Standard effects for a race game but well done.

Playability 84%
Instantly playable.

Addictive qualities 83%
If the few faults don't bother you too much (and they shouldn't), you'll want to get further.

Value for money 79%
Not bad for a game of this scope.

Overall 86%
Challenging race game with some graphic faults. Still the best of its kind on the Amstrad.