Racehorse Trainer

ZX Computing

Nick Pearce

THE ZX81 SOFT SELECTION ZX81 software reviewed by Nick Pearce. RACEHORSE TRAINER AND ADVENTURE G Barker Racehorse Trainer is a very good simulation of a flat horse racing season on the ZX81. The object is to train your fine thoroughbred racehorses to success by entering them in races over a 20 week period, and make a profit in the process if you can. You compete with 15 other top trainers owning a total of 35 horses. Each horse is rated on a number of factors; breeding, optimum race distance, stamina, fitness etc, and after a race these attributes are updated according to race performance. You can list a horse's rating at any time, and it is a complex matter deciding on the horse most likely to do well in each event. There are other complications too. For example, cost must be borne in mind. You start with £25,000 but weekly expenses for stabling, food, vets fees and so on, can be onorous, and you have to pay race fees, jockeys expenses etc. The better the jockey you hire for a race the better your chances, but the more he will cost you. Horses are occasionally offered for sale by other trainers, so you need to keep a careful eye on form, and you can sell your own horses too. Disasters can sometimes occur. My horses were generally pretty ropey, didn't perform well in races even with L Piggott in the saddle, and on one occasion a horse just died between races. The race itself is displayed, the horses in the race moving from left to right across the screen. Not a particularly inspired display, but even the chunky ZX81 graphics can get the adrenalin flowing as you shout your donkey on. The program is menu driven and works very well. A game can last a long time, one partially completed can be saved and continued later. Racehorse Trainer is a thoroughly enjoyable simulation and excellent value for money. The second cassette contains three good quality adventures. The Challenge and Haunted House use both graphics and text. In Search of the Black Staff is a text only adventure. All three are absorbing with plenty of objects and locations in the tradition of role playing computer adventures. Again excellent value for money. Racehorse Trainer costs £2.60 and Adventure costs £3.20 from Gavin Barker, [redacted].

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 6/10

Chris Bourne 6/10

THE SLOW STAKES MEMORY: 16K PRICE: £2.50 Followers of the turf may enjoy emulating the great racehorse trainers in these two simulations of the Sport of Kings. Racing League starts on the premise that the Racing Authorities have formed a league of famous people, including yourself, to race against each other to raise money. You get three horses, which are entered in various races. If you win or are placed you get prize money, and you can also bet on any of the horses. The object of the game is simply to survive, hopefully making enough money to buy up other horses and maybe even eliminate rival members of the league. There are no graphics, and the game is rather slow, with long delays for the various tables to be displayed. The form of a horse affects its odds and chances in the race, but beyond trying to minimise losses with judicious betting there is little opportunity for real skill in the game. Rather better is Racehorse Trainer. In this your horses are given ratings and an optimum distance, and you must select which horses you will race in which events. The race is displayed with chunky graphics - see below - and the results affect the ratings of each horse. Racehorse Trainer does not approach the quality of Football Manager but it is enjoyable to play and the response times, though scarcely quick, are not so slow as to detract from the game. Racing League can be obtained from Racing League Software, [redacted], while Racehorse Trainer is available from Gavin Barker, [redacted].