Producer: Activision
Retail Price: £7.99
Author: Steve Cartwright

It's the mid 1930s and all those magnificent men in their flying machines are flocking to Buckeye, Ohio to compete in the Cartwright Cup Classic. Donning flying jacket and goggles, the player steps into his GeeBee 250mph speed plane and the race begins.

The aircraft is viewed in 3-D from behind, while a cockpit panel below the main screen displays altimeter, compass and speedometer. To win the coveted silver cup, contestants must race against the clock to complete four courses over eight multiloaded levels. A series of pylons mark out the correct flight path across a barren plain, and success involves flying between the markers in the shortest possible time. If the plane strays off course, a warning message flashes up and the clock ticks away at four times the normal rate.

The pilot has two chances to complete each race, and bonus points are awarded in proportion to the amount of time left on the clock. Success on the first attempt means that the extra time is added to that allotted to the next course.

Controls allow the pilot to fly over, dive under or manoeuvre around other racers. Wide and sharp turns can be negotiated by climbing, to speed up, and diving, for extra control as the aircraft slows down. Collisions do not immediately cause the plane to crash although once maximum damage has been sustained, the pilot automatically bails out and parachutes away. The screen then flicks to a still shot of his generally undignified landing.

The fourth course in each level is a bonus event, testing special skills such as slalom control or low flying balloon-popping. Status displays show time counting down and current score as the pilot attempts to steer one of the most dangerous aircraft ever built to success.

COMMENTS

Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: atmospheric stills, but poor main screen graphics with simple backgrounds monotonous engine
Sound: monotonous engine noise with a few little title tunes
Options: definable keys

The concept is great - flying through the air, the wind whistling past your ears. Sadly, GeeBee Air Rally comes nowhere near emulating the great flying days of the 30's. The game is just so shallow. There's very little variation in the courses which just appear to be repeated over and over again, and the graphics are plain. The collision detection when banking is a bit dodgy, resulting in a wobble even when you don't touch any opponents. And to finish it off the multiload is a real pain- there's so little difference between the stages it's a wonder they needed it, anyway.
PAUL

GeeBee Air Rally has all the basic elements of a successful racing game. Soaring through the sky, diving and ducking opponents, dodging pylons and popping balloons is suitably exhilarating. It's just a pity that the essential core of the game isn't better supported by a framework of graded difficulty. The various courses are almost identical and don't present a particularly tough challenge; a little manoeuvering and most opponents are easily avoided. Graphically, the game is disappointing: the detailed still pictures of the results of bailing out are accompanied only by the montonously striped and otherwise bare landscapes. Similarly, all you get when an aircraft hurtles to the earth, is an anticlimactic belly-flop. Still, for the pleasure of a slick and easily masterable flying sequence, it might be worth a look.
KATI

Racing a plane at high speeds, just missing chequered boards, popping balloons and crashing into the tails of the opposition seems a very peculiar practice to me. But it's great fun too! GeeBee Air Rally seems difficult and unaddictive at first but if you bear with it and get onto the higher levels tt gets better as you progress. The planes are all excellently drawn and they dive and soar around the courses very effectively. Taking off is the only problem I had; it seems that you always have to make two attempts at it, consequently losing valuable time to complete the course. Each level is pretty sparse and the sound is the same throughout, consisting of a droning engine noise with the odd tune on the title screen and in between flights. I liked the little extra touch provided by the still shots, though; it's amazing how many pig sties you can find from up in the air. Climb into the hot of a GeeBee 250 mph aircraft if you dare!
NICK

Activision
£7.99
Reviewer: David McCandless

This is perhaps the only time you'll ever meet a cross between Biggles and Pole Position! A racing game in the skies. A nice concept, but what a shame about the game. If you really need the thrill of the chase, even that old chestnut Chequered Flag has to have the edge, for Air Rally is little different, but for a few additional "diversions".

Naturally there's the traditional winding course to follow and, in this case, other 'planes to crash into. But really the race is against the clock - the other racers are simply collision fodder.

There are reportedly 16 "unique and challenging courses" (both untrue), and you are given every chance to get through them, with several attempts allowed.

After every third race there's a "bonus" course - probably the only real interest value of the game. Alternately, there are balloons to pop or an aerial slalom to negotiate, both made difficult by other craft just waiting for you to hit them. Strangely, the clock may start ticking immediately, but the course proper won't begin until you've gained some height -quite a comic affair in the way your 'plane hiccups into the air.

Coloured bands roll down the screen to create the impression of movement, but this is hard on the eyes for any length of time. It's especially difficult to handle when the course markers are the same colour as the background.

The instrumentation in your craft is what you'd probably expect (if you're into these things): what with altimeter, (appears to have a hand missing - you can't hit the ground anyway so it isn't essential), airspeed indicator, (your speed is either zero or fast-ish) and a compass (which is stuck). I am no lover of multiload games, but its execution in Air Rally is so naff it's pathetic. Each additional loading (if you can stop yawning long enough to do it), is so brief I can only assume this is purely for horizon detail. But check this: load the game, flip the tape and load the first part of side B as requested. Leave to simmer for a few moments - and you have to do it all again.

Sorry Activision, but this is not of the quality I've come to expect from you. "Great flying," it says in the instructions. Are they being sarcy??? Forget about great, this one grates!

Label: Activision
Author: Steve Cartwright
Price: £9.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Tony Dillon

Ah, the good ol' days. We had real men then, you know. We had real excitement. We had real Air Rallies. Ah yes, I remember them well. I remember the greatest one of all, the GB. Yes, I remember that. That was where I met your mother, right after I won. Now, there's a game that's ripe for conversion. (Tony, what is this twaddle? is the pressure getting to you or what? - GT).

A great voice booms across the desolate plain. "Do not worry. Old Man. I have heard your prayers and they have been answered." No, it's not the voice of our publisher known to all as 'God', it is the voice of Activision, the fabbo software house that has seen the light and sensibly decided to convert GB Air Rally from the Amiga, to the Spectrum. Surprisingly it's made a very good conversion.

GBAR is a race game, or rather, a series of races. 15 in all, plus 5 special events. You are given a limited amount of time to complete each course in your small light aircraft. Other contestants fly in your way, and you have to fly over, under or around them without going outside the markers that mark the course. If you go off course, ie outside the barriers, time accelerates to four times the normal time and, well, you take less time this time to do twice as much as you did last time. You see.

The illusion of movement has been well realised, the ground effect being composed of horizontal strips of light and dark colour. These are scrolled towards the bottom of the screen and widened to give the effect of coming close to the screen. The sprites, few that they are, are also enlarged to give the same illusion and it works remarkably well.

Your plane is very large, fully 8 character blocks wide, and handles very well. It slips realistically when cornering, and it slows and accelerates, as would be expected, when going up and down.

The special events give a welcome break from the hectic races. There are 2 types of special event, and they are balloon popping and the slalom. In the balloon popping, you have to burst a set number of balloons within the time limit to qualify, though you have to be careful. Hidden amongst the scores of balloons are telegraph poles. Hit these too many times and you will stall, and get to see one of the game's many pictures.

These are a real treat. There are various predicaments you can end up in when you crash You could end up in a pigsty, or out in the desert. You could find yourself hanging from a tree or, if you're lucky, you'll find yourself looking up between a young lady's legs. (Dillon! Don't be repulsive - TH).

The other special event is the slalom. Fly on the outside of the set number of markers to complete the course. This is not very easy. Fly on the wrong side of a marker and you lose a lot of time. Very nasty.

Do I have any gripes? Only one. The game is multi-load. A great shame, and as far as I can tell, a waste of time. There is no great difference between each load, but still, I suppose Activision had their reasons. Generally though, a real treat, and a jolly good conversion.

Spectrum Cassette: £7.99
Commodore 64/128 Diskette: £14.99
Amiga Diskette: £19.99

THE FLYING GEEBEES

Take a trip back to the Thirties when airspeed mania gripped America in the form of high speed air races. These aviating events often lasted over ten days and could incorporate courses of more than 100 miles in length, with participants reaching speeds in excess of 250mph in their single seater aircraft. One of the most successful machines to take part in these races was a 'plane called the GeeBee, a craft with a huge engine and fuel tank to match, a very short wing span and a delicate rudder and flaps. Inspired by the heroic deeds of birdmen such as Johnny Daring (world airspeed record 1932), Steve Cartwright, author of the Hacker games and US Aliens, designed GeeBee Air Rally.

GeeBee Air Rally challenges the player to complete four courses against the clock in eight increasingly difficult game levels, and can be played at one of three pilot ranks; beginner, expert or ace. Every fourth course is a special event - either the player has to pop a set number of balloons or compete in a slalom speed race. The plane may be controlled via joystick or keyboard and can bank left and right, raise or lower altitude and alter its speed.

A MATTER OF COURSE

The flying sequences are interspersed with graphic scenes depicting after-race events such as the winning ceremony, the obligatory kiss from a local beauty queen or where the pilot landed when he bailed out.

Points are gained by staying on course; failure to do so or bumping another plane results in a time penalty being imposed. Minor mid-air collisions barely rock the GeeBee, but a more serious bump destroys the plane and the pilot is automatically ejected to float peacefully back down to terra-firma - he lives to race again.

Below the primary game area is the instrument panel showing the 'plane's compass direction, its altitude, speed and throttle position. Two warning lights either side of the console flash when time is running out, the plane strays off course, or it is involved in a collision.