Martech
£9.99
Reviewer: Pete Shaw
Neee-yoowwww, "Yes, and you're joining us here at, er Monza in Italy."
"Er we're at Hockenheim, and that's your actual Germany, Murray".
"Oh yes, Hockenheim in Germany for the launch of Nigel Mansell's Grand Pricks"
"Er, Prix, Murray"
"Yes, well anyway, here we are, and here it is - Nigel's very own racing game which is closer to the real thing than, er, the real thing, which is more than can be said for Alain Prost's driving. What would you say James?"
"Well, of course everything's here Murray. There a rather nice selection of 16 Grand Prix tracks to crash on and the controls have been designed to simulate the actual feel of really being there."
"So, er, James, what the idea of the game then?"
"To win the Grand Prix."
"So that it, eh, er..."
"Well, it is a little more involved than just that, Murray. For beginners there's a practice section to try before taking position on the starting grid. Your fastest practice circuit determines where you will be placed and if you get a slower speed than the allocated qualifying time, then you won't get on the grid at all. When you load up the game, you'll have already been asked how many laps you wish to race in each event. This is the only feature which is, as you know Murray, unlike the real event"
"Is that true, James?"
"Er, yes Murray. But it a necessary feature since a typical Grand Prix event involves 60 or more laps, each lap taking at least a minute to complete. Well the poor player would be there for days."
Neee-yoooww. "And, who was that, James?"
"A car going up the Autobahn behind us, Murray. Anyway, getting back to this game. If you've managed to qualify you'll take your place on the starting grid, and, just like the real thing, the 30 second hooter will go and the starting lights will appear on the screen. RED... wait for it, wait for it... GREEN - and you're off! Things will get a bit mundane for the next 60 laps or so, with only the pit stops to break the monotony. But this, of course, is what racing's all about."
"So what are your personal feelings on this one then, er, James?"
"Well, Murray, it's a bit involved for people who know nothing about Grand Prix racing, so you'd get nowhere. Out Run fans shouldn't believe that this is the same kind of game - a progression maybe, but only if they want to get into how the car operates as well as steers."
"Er, terrific. And now over to Ian McGasgill for the whether or not report..."
BARGAIN BASEMENT
A bumper New Year collection of cheapie rubbish (whoops!) from that king of the skin-flints, Marcus Berkmann, and his preppy pauper (ha ha) Jonathan Davies.
React
£2.99
Reviewer: Jonathan Davies
Apart from its vaguely snigger-worthy name, this one has nothing to make it
stand out from the crowd in my opinion.
The game attempts to go a bit further than is usual for this kind of thing - more than two gears for a start. There are different tracks to choose from and lots of dials and knobs to keep an eye on, and the car does behave pretty realistically.
Unfortunately all this detail seems to be at the expense of things like the graphics. The action takes place in the top half of the screen, with slightly suspect-looking vehicles hammering round the track, yours being visible at the bottom of the window. The overall effect looks a bit unpolished. Nigel did too little for me. Okay for a cheapie. but will you remember it in the morning?
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