Racing Games CD
Matt Thompson
After last months Flight Games Collection, comes the next instalment of The Fourth Dimension game collections and, as I guessed, it is indeed a collection of racing games. There are seven games included on this CD, and they are:
Drifter, E-Type, E-Type2, Powerband, Saloon Cars Deluxe, Stunt Racer 2000 and UIM.
The Collection comes in the standard DVD box with coloured inlays, and is very easy to install, with the disc in the drive load up the CD and you will see a window appear with the application !Install, double click on this and you will then see the following:
Select which games you want to install, by default that's all of them, then drag the yellow joystick icon to the directory on your hard-disc where you want to install it then click on 'OK' and the selected games will then be installed, you should end up seeing something similar to the following:
With the installation complete it's onto the games:
DRIFTER
"Welcome to the future" says the digital voice in the in-game music, and futuristic this game certainly is. You control a craft around a number of different tracks, and you need to finish in the top two to progress to the next track otherwise you will have to try again on the same track.
Upon loading Drifter you are presented with the main menu and from here you set up your game configurations, with options such as practice on one of the tracks, choose which of the craft you want to race around the tracks. There are a number of different craft, each of which have their own strengths and weaknesses. You can also choose whether to control the game with the mouse or keyboard. The game appears to be joystick compatible, but I couldn't say how well this works. I found the mouse control horrible and opted for the more in control keyboard option, but I guess it's each to their own. You can also select the sounds option whether you are going to have the in game music or just the sounds effects.
Onto the game itself and now the racing begins. The craft is easy to control, but it's all too easy to go flying off the track at the corners, which can take a bit of getting used to. There are a number of computer controlled craft in each race and your aim is to finish in first or second in each race. If you do then you qualify for the next track; if you don't then it's the same track again next race.
As you race round the tracks you will notice a number of special squares. If you go over one of these squares in your craft then something will happen. It may be something useful, like a boost to make you go faster, or it may be a damage square which will harm your craft. There are also mystery squares and friction squares which will cause your craft to react differently when you go over one.
Your craft is equipped with a limited number of missiles, these are very useful as they can be used to dispose of the computer craft and blow them off the track, taking you up a place in the running order!
Drifter has very good graphics which do look like a sort of futuristic racing track and I think they still look good now and haven't aged at all. The sounds in the game are OK, but I always play it with the in-game music on with the speakers turned up - it sounds really good like that! You can also view the action from various camera points around the circuit, and choose the view for racing as well. You can have in-craft or outside craft, I always go for the almost in-craft one, I find it makes it easier to race with this viewpoint.
Overall Drifter is a good game, entertaining to play. It can be a bit annoying at first, but with a bit of practice it gets easier to play. The tracks themselves are different and vary in difficultly and layout each time. My only real criticism is that they all appear to be flat, some hills and perhaps banked corners would have added a bit more to it, but apart from that, the game is hard to criticise, definitely worth playing.
The manual mentions watching out for Drifter 2, somehow I think it's a bit late in the day for that to appear now, a sequel could have been really good too.
E-TYPE
E-Type was one of the first games released back on the early RISC OS machines, in about 1989, and for it's time looked pretty good, I remember seeing an A3000 in my local Dixons running it with people watching one of the staff playing the game and everyone being quite impressed with. This was one of the rare occasions when the Acorn machines in Dixons were actually doing something other than showing a blank screen or the command line.
Taking control of an E-Type Jaguar you drive through 5 different scenarios with the aim being to reach the finish before the time limit runs out. There are a number of time bonuses to pick up on the way to increase the time limit of the level. The levels get progressively longer and increase in difficulty, the first level "The Lakes" is relatively easy to complete, but the last on "Moonlighting" is quite tricky.
Controlling the car is by the mouse and in this game it actually works really well. The mouse is not over sensitive and you have control over where you are going. The mouse buttons act as the pedals would in a real car, the left mouse button is the clutch, to go up and down the gears you need to use the up and down arrows, the middle mouse button the brake and the right mouse button is the accelerator, you can also drive the car in automatic mode, so you only use the the middle and right mouse buttons.
There are a number of obstacles in the road to hinder your cruising; roadworks, puddles, other cars, boulders. There are also policemen and traffic cones in the road but you can drive straight through them as though they weren't there, although the Policeman will scream as you run him over!
Your car can take a number of collisions before the back bumper will fall off with a convincing clang onto the road, and don't drive on the water as you will get that sinking feeling!
There is no music in the game, just the engine noises and collision noises when you hit stuff, but it works well, and you don't really miss the lack of an in-game tune. As for the graphics they are bright and colourful and still look good now, 15 years later.
I have always liked E-Type and think it's a great game, enjoyable to play. It hasn't dated really and is still worth playing now.
Also included is E-Type Extra 100 Miles, which is as the name suggests extra miles for the game. Once you have completed the supplied 5 tracks you can try these. Graphically they are the same but laid out differently and longer. Also included is the E-Type track designer so when you have completed all the tracks you can make your own, or move on to E-Type 2.
E-TYPE 2
Following on the success of the first E-Type, comes the sequel, E-Type 2. The game is similar to the original, but there are a lot of improvements and differences to make it a totally different game.
E-Type 2 installs itself on the icon bar and has a multi-tasking configuration environment, although the game itself only runs in single task mode.
There are a number of options on the E-Type2 menu which you select before you start the game. These include how you will control the car as you can now use the keyboard in addition to the mouse control. You also need to select the type of game as there are a number of new different gametypes, plus other options including the usual volume control, skill levels, which tracks you want to race on etc, plus you can view the high scores as well.
When all the options are correct, click the left hand mouse button on the game icon and the game will start. You can return to the desktop at any time during the game, and when you do you will notice the status of the game icon will have changed from 'Waiting' to 'Paused'.
The objective of the game is the same as in E-Type, each track has a time limit and you have to reach the end before the time runs out. There are 5 tracks as before, each with varying levels of difficulty. Although the objective is the same, you will encounter a number of differences which weren't present in the original game.
The control of the car using the mouse is the same as before, but you can also use the keyboard, I prefer this option as it gives better control of the car and you feel that you can zoom round corners too fast and not go flying off the road. There is also now a 'Fire' button. This is so that you can use the various new bonuses that appear along the way, things like oil slicks and laser fire, which can be used to get cars and obstacles out of the way.
Other new features include weather effects. For example in the Arctic level it will start snowing and on other levels you will encounter rain. These affect the way that the car will handle on the road. The tracks now feature tunnels and Police speed check areas, perhaps to get back at you for running them over in the previous game !!
Where as the original game was just one player driving, E-Type2 offers a number of different gametypes. In addition to the standard mode there is a two player mode and also a Pursuit mode in which there is no time limit and the object is to last longer than your opponent to win the game.
The sound effects are the same as the first game, but the graphics have been improved a lot. The vehicles and roadside obstacles all look really good, complete with adverts for Virtual Golf and the Port-a-loo from "The Time Machine" game. Also the backdrops look a lot better much more detailed than before and do not look particularly dated, when your car has had enough the bumper still falls off and you can also suffer from overheating as well and your engine will blow!
Unfortunately for some reason, the game doesn't run in the same screen mode it did originally, so it now runs in squashed letterbox mode. I think it was something to do with later machines couldn't display the custom mode it used, which is a pity. It doesn't really spoil the game but would look better with a bigger screen display.
As with the first game there is the option to create your own tracks. This is done in a different way to the first game but the end result is still the same.
I enjoyed playing E-Type2. I thought the first game was good, while this isn't a huge step forward from the original it is still worth playing as there are a lot of new features, and different gametypes and a track designer, and it is entertaining to play. Overall a decent follow up to a classic Acorn game.
POWERBAND
I remember when I first bought my copy of Powerband back in the early 1990s. I was really impressed by the sampled introduction of the then BBC Formula 1 theme tune, but after a number of goes with the game there wasn't much else that I was impressed with.
Powerband is a Formula 1 game and can be played as a proper World Championship, Single Race, or in the Fun Mode where all the rules and regulations are out the window and you can do as you please.
When the game has loaded you will see the main options screen. From here you can select which game mode you want, and can also visit the garage to make adjustments to your car and if you are not playing in a championship then you can visit the airport and from here can select one of the 16 circuits provided. These are real circuits, although most are probably different now from how they are here. If you are playing a championship the circuits are automatically picked by the computer.
You get to race against a group of controlled cars, but before you race, you have to qualify for the grid. So a quick flying lap to try to get pole position and if you qualify then it's onto the grid, wait for the lights and away the cars go.
The game objective is pretty much standard, race against the other cars try and finish as high as possible. The higher you finish the more points you score, after the race in finished, then you move onto the next circuit.
The car is controlled by the mouse only, which is a pity as I think keyboard control would be better, but never mind. You can race your car in automatic or manual modes. In the fun mode you can do whatever you like to your car and it will still work, but in the championship mode it's just like the real thing, your car can only take a certain amount of damage before it breaks, bursts into blames and generally stops.
Racing around the tracks is pretty straightforward, but I found the game wasn't really exciting enough to want to continue on to the finish line. It got boring at times, and I found the mouse control awkward with the cornering and the car seemed to slide around a lot. Maybe if I had changed the car settings in the garage I might have done better, but I didn't really have the urge to do so.
I never thought the graphics were that great back in 1991 so by today's standards they do look a bit old hat and dated, and the sound is the usual car engine noises, skidding noises etc. They do the job but nothing special.
Overall Powerband isn't an awful game really, and certainly not the worst racing game ever, just nothing special, and it didn't have that 'one more g'o feel about it that E-Type and Drifter do. A shame really as it could have been something really good. It's probably more at home here in a compilation rather than a full blown commercial release.
SALOON CARS
Saloon Cars gives you the chance to take part in a touring cars championship. It is a bit more than just an arcade game but is not too in depth to get into. Upon loading you are presented with the main menu. From here you can watch the demo mode, set up the controls for the game, select a course and load or save a new player file. Then there is the race option which leads to the game itself. You can practice a track with or without other cars and then the actual race itself. Once you have qualified on the grid then the race can begin.
Controlling the car can at times be a bit tricky. Sometimes it feels like you are totally in control and everything is fine, but then at the next corner you totally lose it and it's into the gravel. You can control the car using a number of methods; you can use the mouse, the keyboard and also a joystick. When you are in control of the car the game is enjoyable to play, but it can be annoying when you lose control.
The tracks you race around are real racing tracks, so Silverstone, and Brands Hatch are included, although since this game was released the real circuit layouts have changed. The pit lane also features in this game, as you can come in for pit stops and have your car worked on if there are any problems with it.
When you start a race you can choose which car to race in subject to the amount of money you have, and the more races you win the more money you will have to upgrade to a better car. Whichever car you buy you have the option of having either automatic or manual gearboxes, plus the option of having large wheel arches and front or rear wheel drive. You can also upgrade your car throughout races with more powerful engines and better tyres.
Graphically I think Saloon Cars still looks pretty decent. The cars look realistic and there are some nice touches. If you crash into cars they will spin around and roll over, your rear view mirror displays accurately what's going on behind you, and also your windscreen can become cracked if you are involved in a crash. The sounds are as with most of these racing games, limited to engine noises and hitting things noises. You can also make your car horn beep as well.
As an added bonus the original Saloon Cars Extra Tracks release is included which includes Oulton Park, Donnington circuits and a made up Seaside track.
Overall Saloon Cars is a pretty decent car racing game. Not the greatest, but if you can keep the car on the track, which isn't impossible but just needs practice, certainly worth playing.
STUNT RACER 2000
Stunt Racer is set in the future and is a televised sporting event which has become massively popular. You race through a number of leagues each with different tracks and the aim is to be the overall winner of the contest.
Upon loading you are greeted by the main menu. This is divided into two sections, the top section has options for the type of game, Practice, Killer Mode, Qualify and Race, plus options for a serial link up games between two computers.
The Killer mode is a two player game where the object is to destroy your opponent by whatever means you can. The Practice option is self explanatory really, you can practice on the tracks to make yourself a better driver. Qualify mode is where you do the fastest possible lap to get the best place on the grid and then finally the Race option where you begin the race.
If you have access to a serial link then two people can link up their computers and play each other that way instead. The main difference with this is that the two player games are played in full screen mode rather than split screen as it would be on one machine.
The other part of the menu features a number of options which include the Garage. Shere you can improve your car, subject to the amount of money you have. The more races you win the more money you will earn to improve your car. Improvements available include better tyres, more powerful engines and a turbo boost. You can also adjust the gear ratios as well.
Also from this menu you can save and load your Player file so that you can continue from where you got to last time you played the game or you can create a new player. You can also select whether you are going to use the keyboard, the mouse or a joystick for game control, and you can view the league statistics to see how well it's all going!
From the Configure Game option there are a number of options you can select for the game setup. These include sound options, music options, the graphics detail in the game and you change which league you are going to race in. Another option from the main menu is that the video playback mode, in which you can view your previous race and then save it if you wish or just watch it. There a number of different camera angles available for watching races. This main menu will appear quite a lot as you return to it between each race.
Control of the game is via keyboard, mouse, or joystick. My preference is using the keyboard and I find this method very easy and it gives good control for the game. When racing around the tracks there are a number of features to test your driving abilities. These include banked curves, flat curves, jumps, loop the loops, ramps and on each lap you have to make sure you go through all of the checkpoints.
I found Stunt Racer a very easy to control game, which makes it very playable and easy to get into. You can view the action from your car from a number of different camera angles, ranging from the traditional in-car view, to above, behind, or in front which isn't much use, but a good angle for watching the replays.
Graphically I feel the game shows it's age a bit as a lot of the graphics do look a bit dated and blocky, but not enough to spoil the game. As for the sounds, there is a good selection of tunes both in the menu screens and the actual game itself. The in game sounds are the usual engine sounds and driving game noises. In the game you can have just the music, or just the sounds or both.
There was an extra tracks disc which was released separately, whether it is included in this compilation I am not totally sure, I don't think it is, but I could be wrong. There is also a freeware program called !SRDesign. This is a track editor program which allows you to create new tracks to race on, not sure where you can get it from now, but if anyone wants a copy I can send it on as it's freeware.
Overall I think Stunt Racer 2000 is a great game, very enjoyable and great fun to play. I used to play it a lot when I first bought it all those years ago, and is still just as good today. It is well worth playing, some classic two player battles can be had, and then it can be very entertaining to watch the replays (speaking from experience here!)
U.I.M
U.I.M (Ultra Intelligent Machine) this is included as a bonus game and I'm not really sure why this game is included as it certainly isn't a racing game. What it is, is a game which is a bit like Elite but instead of being in deep space it is set under the sea in the future. The background story is that the world has become totally flooded and now everything is now under the sea.
This is a strategic game and not one you can finish in a couple of days. There is probably months of gameplay here as the game involves carrying out a number of missions during which various tasks must be performed. When a mission is completed it can be saved so you don't have to play it again and you can continue your progress.
There is a trading part to the game where you buy and sell equipment to make your ship much more powerful and give you better weapons. The overall objective of the game is to find the U.I.M which will be able solve all the problems that are going on under the sea.
Graphically U.I.M looks OK, wire frame graphics are used for the craft, which are filled it rather than just the plain wire frames, and it works well, sound is minimal but functional.
The first time I saw this game was on the Real McCoy compilation volume 1 and I never really liked the game then, just couldn't get into it, but then it's not really my sort of game anyway, far too in-depth and long winded and just doesn't interest me. Doubtless to say there will be plenty of games players that it will appeal to, but not me.
Overall
The games should run without any problem on RISC OS 4 machines, I have tried then on a real RISC PC with RISC OS 4 and RISC OS Select 3i3 and also on Virtual Risc PC with RISC OS Select 3i3 a swell and they seem to run fine although i couldn't get Saloon Cars running on Virtual RISC PC but I'm sure this can be fixed. However there was no problem with running it on a real RISC PC. (I can't get Saloon Cars running on VirtualAcorn either, it's doing something "clever" on startup - ED).
As for Iyonix compatibility, a test using Aemulor PRO, showed that the following games worked perfectly, E Type2, Powerband, and U.I.M, but Saloon Cars, Stunt Racer 2000, E-Type and Drifter didn't work, but they may do with future versions of Aemulor Pro. Drifter may actually work but my monitor couldn't display the mode so not sure whether it was running or not.
Overall I would say this compilation is well worth having if you like car racing games. The games have all been updated with new HTML manuals and are all now RISC OS 4/StrongARM compatible, so if you had any of these games years ago which stopped working when you got a StrongARM machine, you will find they now work again without any problems and are also hard disc compliant. There is no need for the key disc each time you play, and considering these games would have cost you well over �100 originally to have them all on one CD for £15.00 is a pretty good deal.
E-Type and E-Type 2 are both excellent and my favourite games on this compilation. Even now they are still worth playing, as are Stunt Racer 2000 and Drifter, both very good games. With Saloon Cars the main drawback is the control method, I found it too easy to crash, but when the car was on the road I found it quite enjoyable, definitely worth trying out. Powerband looks dated now and never really was that good in the first place. UIM isn't that great either, but then I don't like this type of game anyway.
Unfortunately there were a few gremlins in the initial release of this CD. UIM would not run and the music had disappeared from Stunt Racer 2000. If you have encountered these problems then visit www.apdl.co.uk/update.htm and download the patch which will fix both problems. Apart from that all games should be fine.
Product details
| Product: | Racing CD |
| Supplier: | The 4th Dimension (APDL) |
| Price: | £14.90 |
| Address: | 39 Knighton Park Road, Sydenham, London SE26 5RN |
| Tel: | 0208 7782659 |
| WWW: | www.apdl.co.uk |
| E-mail: | sales@apdl.co.uk |
Matt Thompson