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RICHARD
PETTY'S TALLADEGA
Audiogenic/Cosmi,
£8.95 cass, joystick only
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O Exciting,
violent, road-racing action |
Racing
games are all the rage this month, and there's plenty
of fast furious action in this one. It doesn't feature
two-player racing, but you may find yourself with up
to six cars on screen at once.
The
setting is the Nascar circuits of America, and you have
to take on 18 other cars, including Richard Petty's
(a famous Nascar driver). However before you can race
against the best, you've got to qualify. This is done
around a tri-oval circuit or a random circuit. Both
of these have only left-hand turns with the former having
three and the latter a random number each race.
Qualifying
is fairly easy as long as you keep at maximum speed
and don't bump into the other cars on the track. At
this stage they're easy to avoid, but they won't be
so charitable in the race proper.
Your
qualifying time determines your position on the grid,
and it's best to be in the top four, or you'll have
a lot of catching up to do. The start usually causes
large jams as the leaders jockey for position, and you
have to be extra careful not to get sandwiched and crash.
This isn't the only way to meet your doom, though.
You
have tyre wear and fuel levels which if allowed to get
to zero will cause you to crash. Tyres are worn down
when your car rubs against the curb, while heavy contact
in front or behind from another car will also result
in disaster. You may also get some random engine trouble,
but this will only slow you down. All these factors
can be repaired in the pits.
To
help you avoid the other drivers, you have two handy
techniques. The first is slip-streaming (driving close
behind a car), which won't speed you up but will conserve
fuel so that you can avoid doing too many pit stops.
Secondly, you can use turbo boost which allows you to
travel at 294 mph instead of the usual 250 mph, and
its great for overtaking manoeuvres. However, it eats
up the fuel and should only be used for short periods
on straights.
The
other cars have distinct personalities and there are
five general types. Three individuals are your main
competitors and drive distinctive numbered cars, which
are most easily out driven on the bends. The others
fall into two classes: the bumpers and the demons. The
bumpers are slow and easy to avoid, while the demons
are really nasty and baulk you.
The
engine noises aren't that good, but the tyre screech
round corners is nice. The graphics are disappointing,
with a flickery track and although the cars look great,
their movement is jerky. The perspective does allow
you to see a corner before you are into it, and this
helps you prepare.
Each
race is over thirty laps, and you have continuous updates
on your position in the race, who is in front of you,
your last lap time, and your points score.
BW
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