Wroom!

Sinclair User

Overall 4/5

John Gilbert 4/5

Publisher: Pyramide software Price: £14.95 Programmer: Daniel Macre Joystick The excitement of the race track has been lovingly, if not faithfully reproduced by Pyramide, the French company whose penchant for those green and red 3D glasses gave it a first-time hit with QL Wanderer. QL Vroom continues the company's range of good quality products. It puts you in the seat of a formula one racing car which can reach speeds in excess of 350 mph - or is it kph? A plan of the course is drawn at the start of the game and a set of traffic lights gives you the cue to rev up with a push of joystick or cursor key. Your progress is shown on the map - by a flashing blip - and on the 3D display. The course starts with some straight lengths and you're not much bothered by other cars or signposts. The first bend, however, is a frightening initiation. It's a tight loop and you're bound to meet other cars - which you're supposed to overtake - and signposts which pop up at irregular intervals and write off your car if you are too near the edge of the track. After one lap of each of the five race circuits your score depends upon your average speed and a bonus which takes into account the number of cars you have overtaken. Crashing into cars or signposts is reckoned to be a bad thing and penalties are awarded against you. If you manage to knock up a high enough score, without crashes, you qualify for the next round. Each circuit demands split-second timing, and a fair amount of luck. You should not only slow down when you're taking bends but also when you are overtaking or when you approach a signpost. Not only that, the steering controls become quirky when you accelerate to high speeds. The lower speeds show up the difficulties which programmers have with the QL screen. The 3D display is intricately created with details such as skyscrapers, a light house with a flashing light, a ship on the horizon and the Golden Gate bridge. Everything moves without a hint of flicker when you're travelling at more than 100 mph, but when you slow down the seams begin to show. The flicker is not the programmer's fault - and it's not especially pronounced. But it is there. Compared with English Software's Hyperdrive the Pyramid race simulator contains less action but arguably better and more varied graphics. If you've played Atari's Pole Position in the arcades you will only be a little disappointed with Vroom, but that's because of the speed at which your racer travels - again, that's the fault of the QL design. Looks like another hit for Pyramide.