The road to nowhere

Producer: Epyx
Set of Wheels: £8.99 cass, £14.99 disk
Author: Steve Marsden and Dave Cooke

4x4 starts off fine, but doesn't develop. You must choose one of the four courses and one of the four available jeeps (the 4x4 bit?). With your jeep awaiting, you must load up with various appliances (winches, extra fuel tanks etc). Prudent use of cash should help preserve your three lives.

Once fully packed, flip the tape over to load in the chosen course. All are uniformly bland and poorly drawn, with colour their only distinguishing feature. Your jeep is shown just beyond your instrument panel. Besides a speedometer and rev counter there's a damage indicator, gear shift and all-important timer. However, finishing ahead of the rest is as important as a good time.

Just staying on the track is not enough, you must also dodge obstacles Buggy Boy-style. In places you have to slow down to a snail's pace to get past, but do this too often and you'll finish last. Maintaining a respectable speed all too often means damage and a quick stop for repairs. If you have the correct items a swift tinker under the bonnet soon sorts out the problem, if not then it's out with the sledgehammer for some very unreliable repairs.

The course seems to go on for ever. Dodging the same graphics over and over again soon becomes tedious, while the drone of the engine becomes irritating. Buggy Boy may have disappointed some people, but it's a million times more playable than this!

MARK [40%]

THE ESSENTIALS
Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: effective undulating road, but little variety
Sound: limited mainly to simple engine noises
Options: choice of four vehicles and courses

Racing promises an interesting mix of arcade and strategy genres and ultimately falls to deliver in either field. The idea of equipping your jeep is a good one, but can hardly make up for the disappointment of the actual race. One big irritation is that damage has to become major before it can be repaired. So a flat tyre continues to slow you down to a snail's pace until it eventually bursts and can be replaced! Also, I can't say I noticed much difference in the performance of the four jeeps and they all have an identical top speed. 4x4 Off-Road Racing is a very disappointing Epyx simulation.
PHIL [44%]

US Gold
£8.99 cass/£12.99 disk
Reviewer: Jackie Ryan

Tough old sport is this 4x4 Off Road Racing caper from Epyx. Armed only with a four wheel drive and a few extra add-ons you must drive through some of the world's harshest, toughest terrain, in search of the elusive Victor's Cup. I must admit the last time I tried off road racing was during a rather hairy driving lesson - when I unintentionally mounted the pavement and drove through 14 flower beds before finally finding a parking space in an ornamental fountain. Driving through Death Valley was a much nicer experience.

You begin the Epyx form of off-road racing, by getting the choice of pitting your car against the elements in four equally inhospitable places - the rough desert of Baja, the (smooth?) desert of Death Valley, the mudflats and hills of Georgia, or the snow and ice of Michigan.

Once you've taken your pick, it's time to choose a motor in which you're going to traverse your chosen terrain, and once again you get a choice of four trucks (why else do you think it's called 4x4?) - a Storm Trooper, Tarantula, Highlander and Kantana. Each truck is rated for seven factors - power, weight, gas mileage, endurance, ease of repair, volume without hood, volume with hood and fuel capacity. Check the factors giver for each truck carefully, 'cos they'll help you to work out which truck is best suited to the terrain you've chosen to race on.

Next it's onto the Custom Shop and Automart where you can kit out your rig with all manner of twinkly motorised parts. Splash out on as many extra parts as you can - spare tyres (Hey, I've got enough of those already. Phil), extra water, fuel and oil - 'cos if you break down you have to do all repairs yourself on the spot. There's no going back to the pits in this race.

Once you've kitted up, it's time to hit the road for some action. Or is it? Well, no actually, 'cos first you've to to load in the next block of code. Sigh. After a bit of chugging and whirring you do eventually arrive at the starting point and the race begins. Vroom!

Speed off down the smoothly scrolling track following the course marked out by the flags or poles ahead of you. Make sure you avoid the cactii and large paw-mark boulders strewn in your path. But if you see what looks like a large cow-pat ahead - belt straight for it and Coo! up in the air you fly. These cow pats are actually boulders, so if you keep using them as launch pads you'll soon find your damage factor rising. But they are useful in certain parts of the race, especially if you find yourself approaching a mud flat, sand dune or snowdrift, depending on which terrain you're racing. Drive straight into one of those and you'll find yourself well and truly stuck. Especially if you didn't fit a winch to your car back at the Custom Shop. You could rock your way out, but progress is painfully slow. So if you see a cow pat on the approach road to a bog, relieve yourself (Oo-er) by hitting it right on (the cow pat that is) and flying right over. Wee! (Stop that! Ed).

Avoiding obstacles isn't the only aim of this game though, 'cos you're also racing against the clock and your opponents. The race kicks off at 8.00 in the morning (That means Duncan's got no chance of winning 'cos he wouldn't even be at the start till 12.00! Ed) and it's your aim to reach the first checkpoint by 11.30, the second by 2.30 and to complete the race ahead of as many opponents as possible. Of course this is easier said than done, 'cos in the rough 'n' tumble world of off road racing, progress is often hindered by damage to your mean machine. This is where the game begins to annoy, 'cos in order to repair any damage, you've got to rewind, load, repair, load again and only then can you continue the race.

It's probably as time consuming as it would be in a real race, and in that respect a good simulation, but... zzzzzzzzzz.

Multiload apart 4x4 Off Road Racing is a good game. The graphics are simple but effective and you get a real feel of movement as your car speeds, leaps, chugs and cruises along the undulating roadway. It's a fun simulation and should provide you with hours of fun. So folks, get out there and get your kicks on route 356.

BARGAIN BASEMENT

Looking for something cheap? How about RICH PELLEY (now at half price - a snip)? Er, on second thoughts...

Kixx
£2.99
Reviewer: Rich Pelley

I dunno - it seems as if every budget game this month is a re-release. Apart from Pro Go-Kart Sim, that is. Oh, and T-Bird. But you know what I mean. And this one's no exception. Perhaps you would care to turn to JD's Complete Guide To Driving Sims a few pages further on, and read for yourself what 4X4 Off-Road Racing is all about (that'd save me having to do any explaining)? What do you mean, "No"? Tch. (This isn't my day)

Okay, it's quite simple - firstly choose yourself a 'four-wheeler' (ie truck thingie), buy any accessories that you feel like (an extra fuel tank, a winch to pull yourself out of bogs and things), pack some provisions (oil, water, food etc), choose a terrain to drive on (sand, ice, mud etc) and get motoring'. Or don't as the case may be, because the whole thing really is a bit crap. Rather than having a time limit, you have 'lives', so you can crash three times before your game is over. This means that you have to be really careful and watch where you're going, rather than bombing around frantically, which would be far more entertaining. Races go on for absolutely ages, so the likelihood of you actually finishing is quite slight. And winning? Well, forget it. Graphics are a bit shoddy and jerky, although you do get hills to go up and down, a (vaguely) nice touch. But it really is a bit too boring, and won't have you 'gripped' for very long at all (ha ha).

THE COMPLETE YS GUIDE TO DRIVING GAMES

It's strange but true - normally courteous YS readers tend to turn into homicidal maniacs once they get behind the wheel of a Spectrum. We sent JONATHAN DAVIES, who still hasn't managed to get that wretched helmet off, to find out why.

It's an expensive business, driving. Not only do you have to hand out piles of dosh to actually get a car, but there are loads of 'hidden costs' thrown into the bargain' too. For a start, you've got to get it insured (in case you crash), which means serious sponds for your average Spectrum owner Then there's road tax, servicing, MOTs, petrol, all sorts of things. And, if you want to keep up with the latest fashions, you'll want to purchase a few 'extras' as well, ranging from simple '-TURBO-' stickers for the back window to alloys, buckets and twin cams. And they all mean spending lots and lots of money.

So wouldn't it be nice if you could get your Spectrum to sort of 'pretend' was a car, allowing you to zoom about to your heart's content for minimal outlay instead? Well, actually you can! Yes, all you need to do is buy a suitable driving game, load it up and you've got yourself a set of wheels.

It'll be almost exactly the same as driving a real car except that you can crash as much as you like without having to worry about your no-claims bonus. And you'll be able to choose from all the latest posh sports cars like Porsches, Ferraris and Lotuses and drive them as far and as fast as you like without having to splash out on a drop of petrol! (In fact, because driving games are so much cheaper and more practical than real cars, it is predicted that by the year 2012 the motorcar will have become obsolete, replaced by the driving game.) The only trouble with all this is that it's a bit hard to pick up birds with a 48K Spectrum.

JUST WHAT, EXACTLY, IS A DRIVING GAME?

Mmm, knew we'd have to get round to this sometime. Well, I've had a think and come up with the following spec...

- It's got to have either a car, a motorbike or a lorry in it.

- That means no bicycles, boats, jet-skis, tanks or anything like that.

- And no skateboards either. They're crap.

Seems simple enough. It means we're including Grand Prix-type games (where you just race against other cars) and shooting ones (where you zap them) but not similar-looking ones that don't have cars, bikes or lorries in (like boat ones). Okay? Phew. I never thought it would be quite so easy.

SO HOW ABOUT THINGS LIKE ARMY MOVES?

Oh cripes. Look, just shurrup. will you, whoever you are. No, Army Moves is out, I'm afraid. It's rubbish anyway.

So let's take a look at a few examples, eh? It's worth noting that, where driving games are concerned, the ratio of crap ones to good ones is a lot higher than with other types of game (apart from football games, of course). So you can't be too careful.

RATINGS

The YS Ratings System? You don't want that old thing. No sir, over here we have the brand-new top-of-the-range 1990 model. It's turbo-charged, fuel-injected, 16-valve, super-cooled and has a full X-pack (with droop snoot). And spots. You'll be doing yourself a favour.

DRIVE
It's no good having a driving game that seems to be simulating an FSO or something. You want real power, a feeling of being at one with the road and all that sort of thing. Control responses, speed etc are all taken into account here.

VISIBILITY
Assuming you remember to clean all the dead leaves and bird turds off the windscreen before you set out, what's the view like? A thinly-veiled graphics category, in other words, but jolly important all the same.

ROADHOLDING
It may seem to have everything, but once you've set off, and you've been on the road for a while, do you relish every second that you're behind the wheel? Or do you want to keep stopping at the services? Or perhaps you'd rather just take the bus instead, eh?

FIRST-OFF-AT-THE-LIGHTS FACTOR
A competitive edge is most important where driving's concerned, both in real life and on the Speccy. So do the other cars put up a decent fight, or do they just seem to be part of the scenery (if, indeed, there is any)?

4x4 OFF-ROAD RACING
Epyx

It's a bit American-looking, this one. And that means that you can't just hop into your vehicle and hit the road. Oh no. First you've got to walk your driver between two shops and buy all the bits and pieces you'll need along the way. These include fuel, maps, spare parts and any luxury extras that may tickle your fancy You get to choose the terrain you'll be racing across as well, and this ranges from deserts to icy places. If it is American (I'm not too sure), this would account for the terribleness of the graphics. The sprites are weedy-looking things, and the choice of colours is appalling. On the other hand they are extremely fast, and this gives the game the edge over quite a few others. You get great driving feeling, especially when you hit a bump in the road and go flying up into the air. The courses are nicely designed a well, and have novel obstacles such as sticky mud to get through.

4x4 is a bit too scruffy to get complete recommendation, but it's surprisingly good fun and has plenty going for it.

Label: US Gold
Author: In-house
Price: £8.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Jim Douglas

Good lord. What a catastrophe! 4 x 4 Off Road Racing is USG's latest attempt at the 3D race game formula, and it really is a rather disastrous affair.

It's based on those frightfully dangerous races across the world when rally enthusiasts risk life and limb in huge sand-going vehicles. Unfortunately something has gone horribly awry during the coding and both graphics and playability have gone to the wall.

Once loaded, you're asked to select which landscape you want to drive through. There's a choice of four, covering the most diverse terrain - dry desert, icy wastes, boggy mudswamps and mountainous canyons. Once this choice has been made, you have to decide which vehicle is best suited to the course you're about to attempt. Although there are only four basic trucks on offer, each is rated on seven factors: weight, gas, mileage, endurance etc. Obviously, each truck has its advantages and disadvantages making it more or less suitable for the different landscapes.

From here, you have to buy all those extras like extra brake fluid and a spare battery from the auto mart shop. Each object has a certain amount of weight which will slow your performance etc, etc. You get the idea?

Okay, so 4x4 is more involved than Outrun, Wec Le Mans and the like, and it could be argued that it's more realistic than either of these two, but there's no getting away from the fact that this sort of game has to have convincing and exciting graphics. 4x4 just ain't all there.

Take a look at the picture yourself. It's hardly the most convincing reconstruction of a rally ever, is it? And things remain the same through all the courses. The track rises and falls and swerves around and branches; like Outrun. It's also a multi-load. Before you can drive a course you've got to load it from tape.

The sound is a complete farce. There are blips and whistles and rasps throughout, and a laughable version of the Last Post when you run into a cactus or another obstacle tougher than your truck.

So, who is 4x4 aimed at, then? Tricky to tell. It's neither fish nor fowl. It's not a strategy game and God knows it's hardly an arcade blast. It's certainly to be avoided unless you're very very sure you can't wait until something better comes along, like a bus.

Label: Kixx
Price: £2.99
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

Gel truckin'! None of your pansy Formula One racers or your nancy little go-karts in this game - 4X4 Off-Road Racing is for REAL MEN.

Here's the poop. There are four courses to complete: Georgia Mud Flats, Michigan Winter Wreck-Off. Death Valley Trek and Baja Challenge. Snow, ice, mud and desert combine to provide an enormous challenge to your driving skill and tactical planning.

The opening routines in which you choose and equip your truck are quite nicely done, despite involving some tedious multi-stage tape-loading. You have a choice of four trucks, the Stormtrooper, Highlander, Tarantula and Kantana, all of which by complete coincidence have the same chassis and cab, varying only in their technical specs and fittings; you use the joystick to scroll through the choice of trucks, hit Fire to buy the one you want.

The next stage is the Custom Shop, where your "rig" (as we experts call it) goes up on the ramp, and you use your budget to buy various add-ons, bearing in mind the conditions of the next course you have to race, such as a winch, extra fuel tanks, or a cap (roof).

The final stop is the Auto Mart, where you dosh up for the more vital supplies such as fuel, oil, batteries and spare tyres. Then and only then are you ready to race.

Unfortunately the race graphics are a bit of a disappointment, if only because they're very monochrome. The animation, though, is pretty good: the road level rises and falls, other vehicles including the vicious Doombuggy dodge around the track, and your truck responds well to a tug on the old joystick.

At the bottom of the screen, readouts show your speed, revs, and the condition of various systems including oil, water and electricals. An icon-driven screen helps you if you have to make repairs; you can pull in at a checkpoint and have them done for free, or stop along the way if you feel you have the time. The purchases you made in the Auto Mart, including getting a flashlight or hiring a mechanic, may speed up your repairs and improve your chances of winning a race and progressing to the next round. It's even possible to get stuck in mud, in which case you don't have much chance unless you've invested in a winch!

It is possible to total your rig (sounds painful) up to three times before you're out of the race altogether, but your final aim is to win all four races and become Bull Goose Loony Head Honcho Trucker.

Apart from the slightly disappointing graphics of the race section. 4X4 Off-Road Racing is a realistic and exciting drive, and has all the thrills of the real thing without the mud, so check it out (unless it's only the mud you like).