Formula One

Your Sinclair

Graphics 6/10

Playability 6/10

Value For Money 9/10

Addictiveness 7/10

Overall 7/10

Phil South 7/10

Mastertronic £1.99 Reviewer: Phil South 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.

Read it at Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years

Crash

Use of Computer 20%

Graphics 64%

Playability 15%

Getting Started 42%

Addictive Qualities 5%

Value For Money 2%

Overall 25%

Unknown

Unknown

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Producer: Spirit Software Memory Required: 16K or 48K Retail Price: £8.95 Language: Machine code Well, after months of speculation and rumours the road racing game with the famous steering wheel has arrived. Quite how, we don't know, since last heard of, the police were investigating the company because of customers' mail order money going missing and the game's non-arrival. The cassette includes two versions, a 16K and a 48K version, to suit either type of machine. The inlay claims that the game is based on current formula one levels of braking and road holding. The 48K version gives you a choice of ten tracks; Hockenheim, Osterreichring, Kyalami, Zolder, Paul Richard, Monza, Zandvoort, Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Monaco. These are selected from the front end menu, each track with its name appearing on a key press one after the other. The screen display is not unlike that of Psion's Chequered Flag. You are seated in your car, your hands seen on the steering wheel. The road is white, seen in perspective against the green grass and blue skyline. Movement is indicated by the small signs on the side of the road, but there is no moving background as in other versions. What makes Formula One different to all other road racer games is the much vaunted steering wheel which comes with the game. This is a yellow plastic device, shaped rather like the top of a big pickle jar, and was promptly nicknamed the Yellow Ashtray in the CRASH offices. It is designed to fit neatly on the Spectrum in such a way that it can be rolled left or right along the top row of keys. These are designed to proportionately increase left or right turn. There is an option for automatic or manual gear change. COMMENTS Control keys: Accelerate = Z, Brake = CAPS SHIFT, change up = S, change down = A, to steer use all top row Joystick: the yellow ashtray Keyboard play: steering keys are highly unresponsive Use of colour: good Graphics: 3D effect works quite well, overall less than standard graphics Sound: below average Skill levels: 1 Screens: 10 tracks (48K version) Originality: well the road racer is hardly original, but the steering wheel is, on the other hand, it doesn't work very well and is a laugh

A chance to raise your spirits in Forumla One with its Chequered Flag look-alike graphics.