Producer: Electric Dreams
Retail Price: £9.99
Author: Software Studios

Tear off the L-plates, pull off those furry dice and put to sleep that nodding dog - you're going racing in a Supersprint car, burning rubber in this Activision conversion (on the Electric Dreams label) of an coin-op original.

You choose from eight circuits of different shapes and varying difficulty, competing with three other cars over a minimum of four laps.

And there's a two-player option, where the two players can have the track to themselves or face the further confusion of a third, computer-controlled car.

Constant concentration is essential as you steer your car around the tortuous corners of each track, accelerating over the tarmac. Should you collide with the side of the track at a slow speed you are merely delayed; pranging trackside at high speed causes your racing car to explode. A helicopter flies a new one out to you, but valuable time is lost.

On some circuits there are underpasses which you'll have to drive through blind, temporary short cuts that only you can use (to gain time on your mechanical adversaries), and ramps that enable you to leap over obstacles.

Random objects appear on the track: you can drive over pads to earn bonus scores, and if three or more golden spanners are collected there's a bonus at the race's end. The bonuses include extra tyre traction, power for greater speed, turbo acceleration and extra scoring potential.

But it's not all plain driving. Oil slicks can send your car into a spin, water slicks delay you, and the tornado that improbably patrols the course sends your car whirling out of control.

When a race is over the times of the first three cars are given, complete with their fastest lap times.

COMMENTS

Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: small but colourful
Sound: limited
Options: choice of tracks, two-player option

Games like this are great fun in the arcades with people all around you and sound blasting out of the machine, but an atmosphere like that is very hard to create in the peace and quiet of your own home. And when the game on its own is transplanted into a tiny Spectrum, problems appear. The collision-detection is the worst problem of all; I often found myself stuck on the side of the track but not actually touching anything, which is terribly infuriating. It goes without saying that the two-player option improves the game immensely, but then YOU'RE making the fun, not the game you paid for. Supersprint is effective up to a point but you can't do much with such a simple game.
PAUL [56%]

I expect Supersprint is as good as we're going to get in this genre, but it's still not very good. The graphics are small (like the arcade original's), and though the game is quite playable I didn't find it very addictive, despite good reports of the original. Addicts of the arcade game might find this to their taste, but it lacks a little something.
MIKE [65%]

Well, I don't know about THE car-racing game - the graphics aren't anything to shout about, small cars on an uninteresting background. Still, there is some playability here even though I've never won a game. Jumps, tornadoes and the odd helicopter give it that extra boost of gameplay but I'm afraid it's not enough - sorry Activision, this is a licence wasted.
NICK [52%]

Electric Dreams
£9.99

Here's the racing game that's strictly over the top - as in bird's eye view (and I don't mean fish fingers). There are eight circuits as one or two players take part in the wackiest races ever.

I was never really taken with the coin-op original, which replaces all those super-sophisticated perspective views and the fast action which gets you spinning in your seat, with the relative simplicity of a plan view of the track and four cars. It always seemed more Scalextric than real motor racing to me.

Still, at least the original boasted some natty graphics, which livened things up no end. Not so the Spectrum, which substitutes those grassy banks with a block of green, onto which is dumped a plain black tarmacadam strip. In order to fit a complete track onto the screen, the cars themselves are tiny, and suffer from rather bad attribute clash.

Even these squidgy graphics would be excusable if the gameplay was great but it ain't. Learning to steer the car when the only controls are left, right and accelerate proves tiresome. You have to keep the latter pressed to maintain speed, while the turn controls aim to simulate a steering wheel - but they're too sensitive and your on-screen racer tends to pirouette on the spot unless you jab at the keys.

That said, there's a certain amount of fun to be had if you persevere with learning to drive. You get to choose your circuit, and while some are fairly straightforward relying on traditional terrors like hairpin bends, others introduce such unorthodox features as bridges, roundabouts, opening and shutting gates and even leaps! The Brands Hatch boggles.

I doubt this will hold any but the most committed coin-op fan's attention for all that long, and with the spartan graphics I can't help thinking it's budget quality dressed up in licensing clothing.

Label: Electric Dream
Authors:
Price: £9.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Jim Douglas

In the wake of Codemasters' budget offering Grand Prix Simulator, Electric Dreams will have an extremely tough time justifying the comparatively enormous £9.99 ticket attached to Supersprint.

The two games are both plan-view racing games, and they do look very similar.

If you want to take value for money as your sole guideline, Supersprint wouldn't even make it on to the starting grid. But it is a better game.

I'm still not quite sure which one I'd go for. Take a look at some of Supersprint's pros and cons and decide for yourself.

Supersprint - unlike Grand Prix, although you wouldn't guess it - has been licensed from the Atari coin-op of the same name, so there's a definite attraction for arcade freaks.

In case you haven't seen it in your local cabinet emporium, I'll expound a bit on the general idea. Supersprint involves eight race-tracks and four race cars. You either take on three computer-generated machines or try your luck against two 'drone' cars and one controlled by a friend. The aim of the game is perfectly simple - you've got to make it around the track four times before anyone else.

The tracks are viewed from above, and when you kick-off, you'll get a diagram of each, allowing you to select any starting layout by hitting whichever key you have defined as the accelerator (Fire on the joystick).

And then you're off! The screen throws up a picture of the track, and numerous items proceed to appear. First up are the four cars (each a different colour), then the chequered section, the flag and other bits around the circuit. A white flag flutters in the breeze, and the race is on.

Using your left and right controls and accelerator - no brakes, oddly enough - you glide around the track, passing through other cars (!) and going under bridges and over ramps etc. Yes, I was a little surprised to discover that you don't come a cropper on collision with anyone else in the race. When you think about it, though, the track is quite narrow and were you to attempt to avoid touching any of the other cars, the entire game would deteriorate into a frightfully tiresome plodding affair.

Graphically, it's true, Supersprint is no great shakes. The track layouts are just green squares with black roads carved into them, and the cars are fairly tiny.

As you scoot around, trying to take the corners faster and faster, bonus objects will pop up. One gives you a few more points. The other, a golden spanner, will entitle you to make improvements to your car, giving it better grip on the road, or faster acceleration.

You'll have to be careful when you make a dive for one of the bonus items that you don't drive into the white tornado which howls across the track every so often. Driving through it is incredibly bad news, as you get thrown into a spin and - usually - into the crash barriers on the side of the track.

The game is actually quite difficult to get the hang of - which is the basis of its interest, it's what makes it worth playing. I was always spinning around and oversteering. Once you get to grips with the controls, it actually becomes quite exciting, and you can start taking risks like sliding corners at gradually higher speeds. It's certainly not Pole Position, but it gives a different angle on the tried and tested formula.

OK, so what's the verdict? Compared to Grand Prix Simulator - without the licence - it's extremely over-priced. Nevertheless, it's actually a bit better and definitely a more entertaining game.

Well worth a look, though definitely to be avoided if you've got Grand Prix Simulator.

And I wouldn't be surprised if Electric Dreams is a tad miffed with Codemasters, having just had to shell out lots of cash for the Supersprint licence.

Electric Dreams' new race-'em-up.

Coin-op racing games are all the rage at the moment, but this one could even put Out Run in the shade. With its distinctive overhead view, car tuning options and multiple drones, Super Sprint has been a huge arcade hit; so how does the micro version shape up?

The most striking feature of the coin-op is the way up to four people can play at once - and sadly there's no way that can carry across to a Spectrum. Electric Dreams have only been able to fit single and two-player modes in, with 'drones' - computer-controlled cars - making up the numbers.

Each time you play you can select any one of the game's eight tracks to start on. The default track is the easiest by some way. Viewed from above it looks very simple indeed, a few bends, good long straights and a starting grid cum finishing line.

Actually getting round this is anything but simple, and it'll be a few races before you've got the hang of driving your car at all.

It's not that there's a whole load of controls to wrestle with. In fact you've only got left, right and accelerate, but using them correctly means lots of practice. Take a corner too late, early or fast and you'll crash into the barrier around the track.

Hit the barrier a glancing blow and you'll bounce off again, but the more normal failed cornering attempt will leave you well and truly stuck, wheels spinning. To get back in the race you must release the accelerator, turn your car to face directly out onto the track and then pull away. Even if you manage this your car's liable to swerve as you come 'unstuck', sending you straight into the barrier opposite if you aren't very careful.

The drones don't drive any too fast on the easier tracks, but they never crash. They also don't seem to be affected by oil patches (which send you skidding) or the game's roving whirlwinds (which will leave you in a spin). Their reliable - if humdrum - driving is quite enough to beat you hollow if you keep crashing, so good cornering and crash recovery techniques are essential. If you beat them all over four laps, they'll get meaner on the next race - and since that's on a new track you've got some learning to do.

You do have one trick up your sleeve though, and that's tuning. As well as oil slicks, whirlwinds and 100 point bonuses, you'll often come across little yellow spanners on the track. Collect three of these and you'll get a chance to tune your car before the next race. In any one session you can boost your traction (roadholding), acceleration or top speed.

Chicanes, underpasses and gaps all add to Super Sprint's considerable visual appeal, and spice up the gameplay too. The rescue helicopter is also nicely done - though it only shows up after very bad crashes on the Spectrum version - and the trackside scenery looks good.

But there's a big visual problem on the Spectrum - attribute clash. When the cars are bunched up together their colours inevitably merge, and it can be very tough to spot your own vehicle. To make matters worse, Super Sprint cars never collide with each other so its quite possible for two of them to occupy the same space!

Confusing stuff then, and very frustrating at times too. What pulls the game through so well is its remarkably addictive gameplay, the challenge of new tracks and the excitement of tuning your car to perfection.

Andy Wilton

RELEASE BOX
Spectrum, £9.99cs, Reviewed
C64/128, £9.99cs, £14.99dk, Imminent
Atari ST, Imminent

Predicted Interest Curve

1 min: 67/100
1 hour: 80/100
1 day: 88/100
1 week: 70/100
1 month: 62/100
1 year: 40/100

C64/128, £8.95cs, £14.95dk
Spectrum, £7.95cs
Amstrad, £8.95cs, £14.95dk

This simple overhead-view racing game conceals a fascinating mix of cooperation and competition in two-player mode. You want to come in ahead of your opponent and collect enough spanners for a tune-up too, but it's vital that one of you beats the computer-controlled 'drone': otherwise it's game over for both of you. Do you leave the spanners for the other player if he needs a tune-up - extra speed, better handling etc - or play dog-in-the-manger and risk both of you losing on the next track? Interesting stuff: who'd have thought a racing game would turn into "them against us".

SUPPLIER: Electric Dreams
MACHINES: C64/Spectrum/Amstrad/Atari ST
PRICE: £7.99 (Spec), £8.99 (Ams), £9.99 (C64), £14.99 (discs)
VERSION: Spectrum/C64

Here's a real treat for arcade addicts. That all time classic, Super Sprint, converted for your computer will all the features of the Atari coin-op intact - except maybe the steering wheel which you have to supply yourself. But don't borrow one from your Dad's car just as he's going off to work. That could spark off a few family arguments...

If you've never seen the arcade machine you won't know that Super Sprint gives you a bird's eye view of a race track - there are eight different tracks to choose from - and challenges you to drive your super sprint machines as fast as you can to beat the rest to the finish line.

Along the way you'll encounter hazards like oil-slicks, puddles, tornadoes ramps and underpasses. Not your ordinary race tracks these, as you'll discover.

You can play alone or head to head with a friend - the best way - take part in a series of races or simply practice. You'll need plenty of practice even if you are an expert on the arcade machine.

Its take sometime to come to grips with steering and accelerating at the right moment in time.

When I first picked up the stick I found myself getting acquainted with the trackside walls quite frequently.

Luckily Catalyst Coders have included the helicopter sequence which flies in a new totally undented car when you've damaged the first one beyond repair.

All the time you are bouncing off the walls the drone computer controlled cars are racing away laps isn't long you know a the race ends when the lead car crosses the finish line.

Then the scene shifts to the winners circle - an accurate representation from the coin-op this and you see your finishing position, score and any bonuses while the crowd waves at you!

Get a high score and you can enter you name in the Super Sprint Hall of Fame.

If you manage to beat the drone cars or your opponent in two player mode you move onto the next track in the sequence. If you are playing alone, or come second, you can simply select any track you want to race on.

The C64 version is a multi-load game, so when tracks 1-4 are completed you have to load in the next four. The Spectrum game also ads in all eight tracks at once.

Each race consists of four laps - and as you race you'll see golden spanners and bonus scores appearing on the track. Drive over these to collect them.

Pick up three or more golden spanners during a race and you'll be able to customise your race car by fitting extra features. Features like super traction, higher top speed, turbo acceleration or increased scoring. Apart from scoring each feature has five levels.

It's up to you to work out what combination of features and levels you need to win.

As a novice I'd go for the increased traction before anything else - just to help get to grips with the tricky steering.

The Spectrum version of Super Sprint is pretty basic - the graphics are simple but adequate, as is the sound. The cars are small and the whole appearance of the game is a bit fiddly. You do get the winners circle and hall of fame features however.

The 64 version is excellent. It looks good, plays pretty much like the arcade machine and has so many nice touches that you'll want to keep coming back for more.

I found the music for the one-player 64 game terribly irritating after a while and turned the sound down.

By the way, the two player option allows you to compete one-on-one or drive against a computer car as well.

Once you get to grips with the fiddly steering you're in for a whole lot of fun - so don't throw away your joystick in disgust after a couple of attempts.

It will help you if you've played the coin-op and may be Super Sprint addicts will get more out of this offering, than the rest of you. But despite the initial frustrations I still came back for more and eventually got to grips with the game.

So far the 64 version is the ultimate conversion. But I've had a sneak peek at the Atari ST version which looks even nicer. We've yet to have a look at the Amstrad game at time of going to press.