[{"TitleName":"Dirt Track Racer","Publisher":"Zeppelin Games Ltd","Author":"CAT, Michael A. Sanderson, Moose","YearOfRelease":"1991","ZxDbId":"0001399","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 90, Jul 1991","Price":"£2.99","ReleaseDate":"1991-06-20","Editor":"Richard Eddy","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Richard Eddy\r\nSub Editor: Warren Lapworth\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Nick Roberts, Lloyd Mangram\r\nArt Editor: Mark Kendrick\r\nPhotography: Michael Parkinson\r\nProduction and Circulation Director: Jonathan Rignall\r\nSystems Operator: Paul (Charlie) Chubb\r\nReprographics: Matthew Uffindell (Supervisor), Robert Millichamp, Robb Hamilton, Tim Morris, Jenny Reddard\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Judith Bamford\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executive: Christine Moore\r\nAdvertisement Production: Jackie Morris (Supervisor), Joanne Lewis\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Caroline Edwards [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting Apple Macintosh Computers using Quark Express and Bitstream Fonts.\r\n\r\nSystems Manager: Ian Chubb\r\n\r\nColour origination Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by BPCC Business Magazines (Carlisle) Ltd, [redacted].\r\n\r\nDistributor COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nYearly subscription rates: UK £17.20 Europe £24.00, Air Mail overseas £37. US/Canada subscriptions and back issues enquiries Barry Hatcher, British Magazine Distributors Ltd [redacted]. Yearly subscription rates US$47.00, Canada CAN$57.00 Back Issues US$5.20, Canada CAN$6.20 (inclusive of postage). \r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available; If something untoward happens we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop us a line). No person who is related, no matter how remotely, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH - including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material on 35mm transparencies is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates. Copy published in CRASH will be edited as seen fit and payment will be calculated according to the current printed word rate. The views expressed in CRASH are not necessarily those of the publishers.\r\n\r\nCopyright CRASH Ltd 1991 A Newsfield Publication. ISSN 0954-8661. Cover design and illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Zeppelin Games\r\n£2.99\r\n\r\nTake part in one the most exciting motor spoils in the world in Dirt Track Racer. You and your All Terrain Vehicle have been selected for pole position at the sled of a gruelling five course race, and have to stay there if you're to win the cup.\r\n\r\nThe five stages are village, forest, many, cross country and then back to the village at night. Each is shown from above, as if you were watching the action from a helicopter. To get to the end of a stage all you need do is follow the arrows that have been placed at each junction. This sounds totally simple but if you miss a junction (which is easy to do) you can have terrible trouble getting back on course.\r\n\r\nATVs are built to withstand the battering they get on courses like the ones in this game but add-ons are always welcome to improve their performance. During each race credits can be collected from the track which can then be spent at the discount warehouse. Things like new tyres, turbo chargers, power steering and infra-red devices will all help to get you to the finish.\r\n\r\nDirt Track Racer doesn't capture the atmosphere of the real sped at all. The tiny graphics are pleasant enough and make a good racing game but it looks more like Scalextric than dirt tracking. There's entertainment there, but it's not hooking enough to make it an addictive game.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"43","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"48","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Ouch! 64% damage (time to engage dirty tactics in Dirt Track Racer, wouldn't you say?)."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"48%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 68, Aug 1991","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1991-07-08","Editor":"Andy Ide","TotalPages":68,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Andy Ide\r\nMore Pregnant Art Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nNew Art Editor: Andy Ounsted\r\nGames Editor: James Leach\r\nStaff Writer: Linda Barker\r\nAdvertising Manager: Simon Moss\r\nDeputy Advertising Manager: Philip Davenport\r\nProduction Coordinator: Melissa Parkinson\r\nPublisher: Jane Richardson\r\nPromotions Manager: Michele Harris\r\nPublishing Assistant: Tamara Ward\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg Ingham\r\nCirculation Director: Sue Hartley\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair, Future Publishing [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nDistribution: MMC [redacted]\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Paul Kidby\r\nISSN 0269 6983\r\nABC July-Dec 1990 60,368\r\n\r\nYS comes to you from the same thrusting company that publishes Commodore Format, ST Format, New Computer Express, Amstrad Action, Classic CD, PC Plus, 8000 Plus, Sega Power, Amiga Format/Power/Shopper, PC Answers & Needlecraft."},"MainText":"Zeppelin\r\n£2.99 cass\r\nReviewer: James Leach\r\n\r\nUp until yesterday, I thought ATV stood for Anglia Television. Apparently, I was completely wrong. It stands for All Terrain Vehicle instead. Or at least it does when you're playing Dirt Track Racer, because that's what you find yourself driving.\r\n\r\nZeppelin's new buggy racing game is an overhead-view multiscroller, with five courses and ten mud-pluggin' computer opponents to whizz against. Your little car (small but quite nicely drawn) stays in the middle of the screen as everything moves around it - which is pretty handy because all the other competitors look exactly the same, and it's the only way you can tell who you are! Ho hum. (Actually, another way is to leave the course completely and charge through the shrubbery, which is a bit of a laff - you won't get many points, but at least you'll get to see all five levels!)\r\n\r\nThe action zooms about really quickly, and pressing forwards on the joystick accelerates no matter which way you're facing. This takes some getting used to, but it works okay, despite the fact that your mini-mean machine wants to spin round in random, drunken circles.\r\n\r\nLAND ROVIN'\r\n\r\nThere's a speedo and a damage meter, which you need to keep your eyes on - spend too much time off the road and the suspension'll get knackered, which is the only way you get to lose the game. Alternatively, you can collect tokens to upgrade your car or get it fixed. These don't just lie on the track you're racing down, but also on other roads away from the beaten track. Stuff like turbochargers, extra suspension and roll-over bars are available at a cost, so it's always worth rattling off through a hedge and doing a bit of damage to your ATV, in order to collect a juicy fifty pointer.\r\n\r\nAnd all in all, DT Racer ain't too bad. The only bummer for me was that it made me feel really pukey if I watched it too close-up. It's a bit like an ancient game called Androids, which had a similar kind of scrolling - it sort of vibrated a bit (oo-er) as if you were up in a helicopter. But perhaps I've just got a weak tum.\r\n\r\nSo if you're into Super Sprint type games, you can't really go far wrong with Dirt Track Racer. It's an amusing little aperitif of a game. Well presented, set at just the right pace and with some nice twisty tracks to race around, it's one for all the family (if they happen to share a passion for All Terrain Vehicles and Spectrum games).","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"It won't tax the old brian cells (Brain, surely. Ed), but it's a bit of fun in an otherwise lonely world","Page":"56,57","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"James Leach","Score":"73","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Blimey, I wouldn't want to live in that house. Imagine the racket all day!"},{"Text":"Ha! We've just taken a short-cut through someone's garden. Made a mess of their hedge too! (Serves them right for not trimming it properly.)"},{"Text":"Here's my buggy, completely knackered after driving it over some particularly gruelling terrain. What a silly-billy I am!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Life Expectancy","Score":"64%","Text":""},{"Header":"Instant Appeal","Score":"75%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"76%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"80%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"73%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 114, Aug 1991","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1991-07-15","Editor":"Garth Sumpter","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Garth 'Cuban Heels' Sumpter\r\nDesign Editor: Andrea 'Overtime' Walker\r\nDesign: Yvette 'Vegetable rights & peace' Nicholls\r\nStaff Writers: Steve 'Sub burn' Keen, Matt 'Yo babe!' Regan\r\nSU Crew: Alan 'Back to my place' Dykes, Graham 'Diamond' Mason\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Jerry 'Sun tan' Hall\r\nAd Production: Jo 'Trainee' Gleissner\r\nMarketing Dept: Marc 'Goodtimes' Swallow, Sarah '0898' Ewing, Sarah 'I've got a secret' Hillard\r\nPublisher: Graham 'No expense spared' Taylor\r\nManaging Director: Terry 'Organised' Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1991 EMAP IMAGES\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nDISTRIBUTION: BBC FRONTLINE\r\nSU SUBSCRIPTIONS: [redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by Garthtype.\r\nColour work by Proprint.\r\n\r\nReproduction of any part of this magazine without the written consent of Garth, Andrew, Steve, Matt, Allan and Mr Ben will result in something really utterly nasty happening, I can jolly well tell you. Either that or Garth will file down your teeth with an electric cattle prod whilst Matt sings acoustic Des O'Connor numbers and tickles your particulars with a herring. If you want to reproduce our mag after all this then you're a very sick, sick person indeed and should seek medical attention immediately, that's what we do. Oh, just as we were going to press, Yvette, our design assistant, got very poorly and had to go to hospital. We'd all like to wish here a speedy recovery. If you want to send her a line or something to keep her amused while she gets better then cheer her up and write to her in her sick bed. Whoever sends the letter that cheers her up the most will receive £50s worth of games. Till then... byeee!"},"MainText":"Label: Zeppelin\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nPrice: £2.99 Tape, N/A Disk\r\nReviewer: Alan Dykes\r\n\r\nStay clear of the \"dirt track devil\" I said to Steve the mag metal maniac, as I scrambled forth to review this wheelie Spectrum budget from Zeppelin. Sad to say it wasn't really worth it. I soon took off my skid lid because I didn't really mind if Dirt Track Racer did actually crash.\r\n\r\nSomething tells me we've seen it all before maties, yes it's the old bird's eye view of a small, simple sprite meandering around a maze with vertical scrolling and dodgy control. Hold on now, surely five different race courses and ten repair/upgrading options manage to set Dirt Track Racer apart? Well possibly, but that's it though. I mean let's face it, you can give the poodle a haircut but you can't bring it out to dinner.\r\n\r\nAs your all terrain vehicle potters around the course, hopefully ahead or behind the main bunch (if you get caught in the middle of that lot you'll be seriously damaged and find it difficult to get out) there are credits to pick up which enable you, between races, to upgrade the machine and repair damage. The upgrade options include modifications to the engine, brakes and suspension as well as a set of \"bull bars\" with which to run your competitors off the road.\r\n\r\nThe concept of the all terrain vehicle is a little difficult to visualise because of the lack of 3D perspective, the small size of the main sprite and the general vagueness of the graphics. Although this is helped somewhat by a nice drawing of the real vehicle above the damage meter and fuel/speed gauges on the right hand side of the action screen, I found keyboard control much more reliable than joystick, though overall it is a bit shaky and there's no reverse!\r\n\r\nDirt Track isn't a particularly bad game, more a well worn theme, one which I consider flawed these days when Spectrum software, even on budget labels, can reach higher standards of graphics and gameplay.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A tame, mildly entertaining game that we've all seen before, but good graphics and animation make it a worthwhile choice for fans for the genre, and certainly the thing to do when it's raining outside.","Page":"36,37","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Alan Dykes","Score":"56","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"57%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"53%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"59%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"60%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"56%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]