[{"TitleName":"Scalextric","Publisher":"Leisure Genius","Author":"Andy Green","YearOfRelease":"1986","ZxDbId":"0004357","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 38, Mar 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-26","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishers: Roger Kean, Oliver Frey, Franco Frey\r\nPublishing Executive/Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nSub Editor: Ciaran Brennan\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Lee Paddon, Hannah Smith\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Philippa Irving\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nContributing Writers: Jon Bates, Brendon Kavanagh, John Minson\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrators: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: Seb Clare, Tim Croton, Mark Kendrick, Tony Lorton, Nick Orchard, Michael Parkinson, Cameron Pound, Jonathan Rignall, Matthew Uffindell\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nBookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Leisure Genius\r\nRetail Price: £9.95\r\nAuthor: Andy Green\r\n\r\nFor many people, the mere mention of the word 'Scalextric' conjures up visions of many happy hours spent piecing together plastic track sections. Now with this computer version of the old sitting-room floor racing game those moments can be relived. There is a choice of 17 ready-made tracks included, or a completely new track may be designed and built using a series of short sections.\r\n\r\nWhen building a circuit, there are 15 different track elements to choose from. To begin with, there are four 'straight'components, each of a different length. Next come the 'chicanes,'where the track narrows to a single car width. These come in several forms: curved chicanes, straight chicanes and chicane entrance and exits. There are also skid chicanes where the track quickly narrows then broadens again.\r\n\r\nThere are three different corner radii: 'inner' curves are tightest, followed by 'standard'and 'outer'. There is also a banked curve which has the standard radius.\r\n\r\nHaving positioned the first section, you place your cursor on the next piece of track required -pressing 'fire' then lays this in place, and so on until a circuit is completed. If you are unhappy with the result, you can choose to replace sections of the track, or alternatively scrap the whole design. To finish a circuit design, the two ends of the track must be quite close. Then the 'finish' icon is selected, and the computer informs you whether or not the two ends of the track can be joined. If not, another combination may be tried.\r\n\r\nThere's more to Scalextric than building tracks, however - after the circuit has been chosen the real racing can get underway. Two people can compete, or you can take on the computer which drives the car that appears on the lower window - the screen is split horizontally, with each portion showing the rear view of one of the competing cars (when the two cars are close to one another they appear on both screens). The screen also shows the twists and turns in the track ahead. The car's controls are accelerate, brake, steer left and right - 9ear-changes are dispensed with.\r\n\r\nIf the car exceeds a safe speed in a corner it starts to skid outwards. The maximum safe speed depends on the tightness of the curve, but exceeding the car's handling limits causes a collision with the verge. Hitting the grass causes the car to slow right down to 50 mph before it can be steered back onto the track. If two cars collide, the one at the back explodes - however, barging from the side is harmless to both vehicles.\r\n\r\nA small map at the bottom of the screen shows the track layout and the position of each car, and the lap time achieved by the two drivers is given after every circuit of the track.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: definable: left, right, accelerate and brake\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2\r\nUse of colour: workmanlike\r\nGraphics: good detail on cars\r\nSound: monotonous engine effect\r\nSkill levels: one\r\nScreens: two","ReviewerComments":["I was expecting great things from this - after all, what could be better than a Scalextric set without a dodgy transformer? Unfortunately Scalextric has turned out to be a below-average racing game, with an uninteresting little bit at the beginning. The graphics are initially good, but they get boring when you've seen all the tracks. The sound is nothing more than you would expect from a game of this quality - that is, a bog-standard engine noise. I'm very disappointed: surely LEISURE GENIUS could have come up with something a little more inspired.\r\r\nBen Stone","I saw an advert for this years ago, and I'm not sure that it's been worth the wait. Scalextric isn't one of the best racing simulations around, but it does contain some very nice features that set it apart from other games of its type. The icon system is very easy to use, although getting a good track together can take some time. The cars are very well drawn with some good perspective graphics, but they're not responsive enough for a competitive game. If you really want to buy Scalextric, don't be fooled by the pretty graphics - insist on playing it first.\r\r\nPaul Sumner","Scalextric is alright, as far as racing games go but it's all been done before. The track editor is very slick and useful, but I just can't see that there's that much of a market left for a race game. The graphics are fine, with few problems apart from the usual colour clashes. If you're not yet the owner of one of the many thousands of race games, then Scalextric is worth considering. Neatly done, and professionally packaged, it has everything going for it - apart from an original idea.\r\nMike Dunn"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A great idea, but lacking in gameplay.","Page":"32","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ben Stone","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"\"Portugal looks nice Shane!\" \"Okay Cameron let's race there this time\"."},{"Text":"Waiting for the green light, Cameron and Shane share the pole position on the starting grid."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"81%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"70%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"52%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"52%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"52%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"57%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 15, Mar 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-12","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Caroline Clayton\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nAssistant Editor: Phil South\r\nStaff Writer: Markus Berkmann\r\nDesigner: Darrell King\r\nContributors: Luke C, Mike Gerrard, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tommy Nash, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Rachael Smith\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nManaging Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nPublisher: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1987 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Leisure Genius\n£9.95\nReviewer: Phil South\n\nCor! I remember this! I sat huddled with my mate in his loft, our two little cars rattling around the black track with a silver rail up the centre... Scalextric. Second fave indoor sport to Subbuteo Football, to blokes of my age anyway! Wow! Many an hour or three has been whiled away, going too fast along the track flipping my little JPS off the banked curve into the fishtank.\n\nSo now there's a computer game? Surely some mistake, you can't replace the thrill of real little cars and bits of broken plastic track by a video game. Imagine my surprise when, far from being a load of old tut, it's actually a sensible and highly playable race game.\n\nOh sure it's got fifteen different tracks from around the world, like all the others. And yes, I know it's borrowed most of its ideas from the likes of Pole Position. But I'm sentimental about this old corker, and I think it's a great game. The graphics are a cut above the previous games of this ilk, and the inertia and motion of the cars are a smidgin more realistic than its rivals. The thing which really puts it nose and front wheels ahead of the pack is the feature that allows you to design your own track layouts. If the world's racetracks are a bit too tame for your taste, you can bang together your own track from segments, just like the real life game.\n\nAs a bog standard race game, its reet gradely, but having said all that, there are some things I wish the programmers had incorporated. It would've been very nice to be able to flip your cars on the track at the corners, 'cos for me that was half the fun of playing Scalextric in the first place. I'm sure this wouldn't have been much of a problem, and it would've made it more like the real thing.\n\nSo, if you can afford it, buy it and enjoy. You too can be Sports Personality of the Year.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"75","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Phil South","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 47, Dec 1987","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1987-11-26","Editor":"Barnaby Page","TotalPages":148,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Dominic Handy, Lloyd Mangram, Ian Phillipson\r\nSubeditor: David Peters\r\nPhotographers: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nOffice: Frances Mable, Glenys Powell\r\nTechnical Writers: Simon N Goodwin, Jon Bates\r\nAdventure Writer: Derek Brewster\r\nPBM Writer: Brendon Kavanagh\r\nStrategy Writer: Philippa Irving\r\nEducation Writer: Rosetta McLeod\r\nContributors: Robin Candy, Mike Dunn, Paul Evans, Ben Stone, Paul Sumner, Bym Welthy\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nDesign: Markie Kendrick, Wayne Allen\r\nProcess and Planning: Jonathan Rignall (Supervisor), Matthew Uffindell, Nick Orchard\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Andrew Smales\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\nPlease address correspondence to the appropriate person!\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH - including written and photographic software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Scalextric\r\nLeisure Genius\r\n\r\n57% Issue 38\r\n\r\nMIKE: The Scalextric toy racing set has almost become a necessary part of growing up, and Leisure Genius brings it right up to the computer ago with their Spectrum version. A two-player Chequered Flag variant with a construction kit for good measure, Scalextric isn't bad, technically, but short on gameplay.\r\n49%\r\n\r\nDOMINIC: Almost the best racetrack game around. The construction kit ties ion well with the title subject, and also makes the game lots of fun to play. And the two-player option adds to the value.\r\n70%","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"103","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"49","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Dominic Handy","Score":"70","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"MORE WHEELS THAN ISIAH!\r\n\r\nBMX Simulator\r\nEndurance\r\nEnduro Racer\r\nGlider Rider\r\nKnight Rider\r\nMiami Vice\r\nMilk Race\r\nNightmare Rally\r\nPaperboy\r\nPole Position\r\nScalextric\r\nSpeed King II\r\nStreet Hawk\r\nSuper Cycle\r\nTT Racer\r\nTurbo Esprit"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall (Mike Dunn)","Score":"49%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall (Dominic Handy)","Score":"70%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 59, Nov 1990","Price":"£1.85","ReleaseDate":"1990-10-11","Editor":"Matt Bielby","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Matt Bielby\r\nArt Editor: Sal Meddings\r\nProduction Editor: Andy Ide\r\nDesign Assistant: Andy Ounsted\r\nContributors: Robin Alway, Marcus Berkmann, Jonathan Davies, Cathy Fryett, Mike Gerrard, Kati Hamza, Duncan MacDonald, Jon North, Rich Pelley, David Wilson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertising Executive: Simon Moss\r\nPublisher: Greg Ingham\r\nAssistant Publisher: Jane Richardson\r\nManaging Director: Chris Anderson\r\nProduction Director: Ian Seager\r\nProduction Coordinator: Melissa Parkinson\r\nSubscriptions: Computer Posting [redacted]\r\nMail Order: The Old Barn [redacted]\r\nPrinters: Riverside Press [redacted]\r\nDistributors: SM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is published by Future Publishing Ltd [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1990. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission."},"MainText":"SCALEXTRIC\r\nVirgin\r\n\r\nDid you have Scalextric when you were a kid? Me, I was lucky to get a clip round the ear. I remember gazing enviously at other peoples lengths of black plastic, hoping that one day I'd be able to get my own back somehow. Unfortunately I haven't yet, as Virgin's attempt at a conversion is yet another driving let-down.\r\n\r\nTo be sure, you can assemble tracks from an unlimited selection of pieces without having to worry about running out of left-hand bends. But once you get down to the racing bit you find that you've wasted your time. It's a two-player looking-at-it-from-behind game, with the screen split between the two players. Clever stuff, but unfortunately the graphical content is minimal and there's not really much to the driving either. One major prob is that once someone's got into the lead he's virtually guaranteed to be the winner as long as both players keep their foot to the floor all the way round. Very boring indeed.\r\n\r\nSo it's not much cop then.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"80","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jonathan Davies","Score":"51","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Come on, Virgin, one mountain range per game, okay? (And even that's pushing it.)"}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"AN INTERVIEW WITH ANDY 'STREETHAWK' OUNSTED\r\n\r\nFew people would have guessed that YS had its own resident driving expert. We certainly didn't until our Design Asst told us so.\r\n\r\n\"So, you've got a motorbike, have you, Andy?\"\r\n\"Yeah, I've got a bike. And call me 'Streethawk'. All my friends do.\"\r\n\"Right. So, Andy...\"\r\n\"Streethawk.\"\r\n\"Er, Streethawk, what sort is it exactly?\"\r\n\"It's a Yamaha or something, I think. It's well hard. It shifts.\"\r\n\"Does it really?\"\r\n\"Yeah. It'll burn off anything.\"\r\n\"Terrific. Could we have a look at it, do you think?\"\r\n\"Er, no. I didn't bring it in today.\"\r\n\"Oh? Why not?\"\r\n\"It, um, wouldn't start. I had to get the bus instead.\""},{"Text":"LOOKING-AT-IT-FROM-BEHIND ONES\r\n\r\nThese are the most common by 'miles' (yuk yuk), being those games where you see your car on the screen in front of you from a position behind and slightly above it, and with the road coming towards you in 3D. They all started in the arcades with stuff like Pole Position and moved onto the Speccy via Chequered Flag and later things like OutRun. And, of course, there was the classic Road Racer on the front of the May '87 YS. They're generally good fun, but can be a bit samey and tend to be just a case of pressing Left and Right at suitable moments. And an element of violence tends to creep in - you often get a gun or something mounted on your car to bag other vehicles with.\r\n\r\n(Roadblasters - um, looking at it from behind. And slightly above. (Simple really))"},{"Text":"LOOKING-AT-IT-FROM-ON-TOP ONES\r\n\r\nKicking off, these are the ones where you get a bird's-eye view of the course and see your car as a little blob hammering round the track (which may scroll if it doesn't all fit onto the screen at once). The basic idea takes its cue from a vintage coin-op called Super Sprint, and you can sometimes get anything up to 29 players on the screen at one time (giving them the edge where competitiveness is concerned). They do tend to lose out graphically though, as there isn't much scope for scrolling 3D roads etc.\r\n\r\n(Championship Sprint - yes, but is it ass much fun as a Scalextric set?)"},{"Text":"LOOKING-AT-IT-FROM-THE-SIDE ONES\r\n\r\nWe're heading into dicey territory here, as we could start wobbling on about scrolling shoot-'em-ups if we're not careful. They do generally scroll however, but they're a bit weird as you don't actually have to worry about steering. All you really have to do is get the speed right when going over ramps and maybe launch the odd missile now and again. Motorbikes, rather than cars, tend to feature prominently in this sort of game, which seems reasonable enough as they look a bit thin when viewed from the rear. One thing we've got to be careful of here is bicycles - they seem to crop up in these rather a lot and, as we already know, they don't count."},{"Text":"OH NO, IT'S EVERY SINGLE DRIVING GAME EVER\r\n\r\n3D Stock Car Championship - Silverbird\r\n4x4 Off-Road Racing - Epyx\r\nAmerican Turbo King - Mastertronic\r\nAPB - Tengen (Domark)\r\nBattlecars - Summit\r\nBeach Buggy Simulator - Silverbird\r\nBuggy Blast - Firebird\r\nBuggy Boy - Elite\r\nChampionship Sprint - Activision\r\nChase HQ - Ocean\r\nContinental Circus - Virgin\r\nCrazy Cars - Titus\r\nCrazy Cars II - Titus\r\nCycles, The - Accolade\r\nDeathchase - Micromega\r\nDuel - Test Drive II, The - Accolade\r\nDukes Of Hazard - Elite\r\nEddie Kidd Jump Challenge - Martech\r\nEnduro - Activision\r\nEnduro Racer - Activision\r\nFire And Forget - Titus\r\nFormula One Simulator - Mastertronic\r\nFull Throttle - Micromega\r\nFuture Bike Simulator - Hi-Tec\r\nJuggernaut - CRL\r\nGrand Prix Circuit - Accolade\r\nGrand Prix Master - Dinamic\r\nGrand Prix Simulator - CodeMasters\r\nHard Drivin' - Tengen (Domark)\r\nHot Rod - Activision\r\nInternational Speedway - Silverbird\r\nItalian Super Car-  CodeMasters\r\nIvan 'Ironman' Stewart - Virgin\r\nKnight Driver - Hewson\r\nKnight Rider - Ocean\r\nLast Duel - US Gold\r\nLED Storm - US Gold\r\nMaze Death - PSS\r\nMotorbike Madness - Mastertronic\r\nMotor Massacre - Gremlin\r\nNigel Mansell's Grand Prix - Martech\r\nOutRun - US Gold\r\nOverlander - Elite\r\nPass Your Driving Test - Audiogenic\r\nPole Position - Atarisoft\r\nPower Drift - Activision\r\nRally Cross Simulator - CodeMasters\r\nRally Driver - Alternative\r\nRally Simulator - Zeppelin\r\nRoad Blasters - US Gold\r\nRoad Racer - Ocean/YS\r\nScalextric - Virgin\r\nSpeed King II - Mastertronic\r\nSpy Hunter - US Gold\r\nStreet Hawk - Ocean\r\nStunt Bike Simulator - Silverbird\r\nStunt Car Racer - Microstyle\r\nSuper Cycle - US Gold\r\nSuper Hang-On - Electric Dreams\r\nSuper Scramble Simulator - Gremlin\r\nSuper Stock Car - Mastertronic\r\nTaxi! - Digital Integration\r\nTechno Cop - Gremlin\r\nTranz Am - Ultimate\r\nTT Racer - Digital Integration\r\nTurbo Bike - Alternative\r\nTurbo OutRun - US Gold\r\nTwin Turbo V8 - CodeMasters\r\nWEC Le Mans - Ocean\r\nWheelie - Microsphere"},{"Text":"OTHERS\r\n\r\nWith a theme as wide ranging as 'driving' we're bound to come across one or two miscreants that don't really fit into any of the previous categories (the scamps). Well, I have anyway. First of all there are ones like Hard Drivin' and Stunt Car Racer where you get a 3D view out of the window. Then there are the vertically-scrolling ones such as LED Storm which are really a cross between looking-at-it-from-behind ones and looking-at-it-from-the-top ones. And there are boring 'management' ones like Grand Prix. Best forgotten, those.\r\n\r\n(Erm... an 'other'.)"},{"Text":"TEN SIGNS THAT HE'S A CRAP DRIVER\r\n\r\n1. He drives round with his foglamps on all the time.\r\n\r\n2. He wheelspins every time he pulls away.\r\n\r\n3. He drives 3mm from the car in front, and as far to the right as possible ready to overtake.\r\n\r\n4. He's always first off at the lights.\r\n\r\n5. He's got an Escort 1600 Sport with all the usual accessories.\r\n\r\n6. He always parks on double-yellow lines.\r\n\r\n7. His car's heavily battle-damaged.\r\n\r\n8. He makes frequent use of his three-tone horn.\r\n\r\n9. He keeps revving up the engine at traffic lights for no apparent reason.\r\n\r\n10. One of his brake lights doesn't work."},{"Text":"TEN SIGNS THAT SHE'S A CRAP DRIVER\r\n\r\n1. She's driving a Mini.\r\n\r\n2. She's got a Garfield stuck to her back window.\r\n\r\n3. Simon Bates is blaring out and the Our Tune 'theme music' has just started up.\r\n\r\n4. There's another girl with exactly the same style haircut sitting next to her in the passenger seat.\r\n\r\n5. She's driving a Porsche."},{"Text":"THE FIRST EVER DRIVING GAME\r\n\r\nDespite a sore knee and a terrible fear of the dark, I crouched down in the murkiest corner of the YS shed to browse through our collection of cardboard-boxed archives. And did I come up with anything? Well, not really. I did find out that the Van Houten Chocolate in the YS drinks machine is actually the remains of a consignment of rations from during the war (no-one wanted to drink it then either) and I also came across some rather compromising photos of Andy when he was four years old, but nothing really very interesting in the driving games department. I was hoping to turn up some really ropey-looking Basic game from about 1982, but the best I could come up with was Chequered Flag, a Sinclair game that came out a year later. It's quite good actually - a bit like Polo Position without any other cars to race against.\r\n\r\nWe'll give it a thorough going-over later, but in the meantime perhaps you'd like to think back and see if you can come up with anything better if you find anything older than Chequered Flag, do write in and tell us as we'd be jolly interested to know."},{"Text":"TOP FIVE GEARS\r\n\r\n1. Third\r\n2. First\r\n3. Fourth\r\n4. Second\r\n5. Fifth (where available)"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Drive","Score":"51%","Text":""},{"Header":"Visibility","Score":"31%","Text":""},{"Header":"Road Holding","Score":"41%","Text":""},{"Header":"FOATLF","Score":"61%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"51%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 59, Feb 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-01-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nDesigner: Gareth Jones\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Richard Price, Andy Moss, Gary Rook\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Jacqui Pope\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Stuart Hughes\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. Please write Program Printout on the envelopes of all cassettes submitted. We cannot undertake to return cassettes unless an SAE is enclosed. We pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by PRS Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1987 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"Label: Leisure Genius\r\nAuthor: Andrew Bradley\r\nPrice: £9.95\r\nJoystick: various\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: John Gilbert\r\n\r\nScalectric. Remember those toy slot-car racing sets a few years back? The set-up is expensive but Leisure Genius has hit upon an inexpensive alternative. It's a kind of Pole Position construction set! Design a track, then take on a friend or the computer to see who will be first around its straights, curves and chicanes.\r\n\r\nThe circuit design phase is neatly icon-controlled. Set the track-laying arrow to where you want to place the starting gate, then select a horizontal (across the screen) or vertical (up the screen) position.\r\n\r\nThere are 15 types of track section including four types of curve just like the real thing: outer, standard, inner and banked.\r\n\r\nOnce you're happy with a circuit design you can save it to tape.\r\n\r\nIf, however, you don't want all that creative bother you can load in one of the 17 authentic Formula One circuits included in the package. Silverstone and Brands Hatch are available for your personal races but, if you want to go further afield, you can try Rio Brazil, Imola and Monaco among many others.\r\n\r\nEither way, once the circuit is fixed the race proper begins. Your car has a top speed of 240 mph but on the tightest curves you'll spin off at over 50.\r\n\r\nBumping against the grassy edge of the track slows you down and gives your opponent a chance to scrape past especially if you are on the hard option of the three play levels. The chicanes are the trickiest. The track narrows, so only one car can pass at a time. If you're overtaking your rival at the time you'll end up splashed all over a grassy verge.\r\n\r\nThe Pole Position like 3D sequences, in which your car is in the top window and your opponent's at the bottom, are a bit slower than other race games but the track construction option, which is a I whole lot of fun, more than makes up for it.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"It could be called Pole Position Construction Set. Not as fast as some racing games but the DIY design option compensates.","Page":"30","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"John Gilbert","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"4/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 65, Mar 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesly Walker\r\nSub-Editor: Seamus St. John\r\nDesign: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Steve Donoghue, Matthew Woodley\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nPublicity: Marcus Rich\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Garry Williams\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Katherine Lee\r\nAd Production: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Rita Lewis\r\nCover: Craig Kennedy\r\n\r\n© Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 98,258"},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum\r\nSUPPLIER: Leisure Genius\r\nPRICE: £9.95\r\n\r\nAnother game we've all been waiting ages for. The Spectrum version of the legendary slot car racing game. There was a time when everyone who was anyone had their front room full of bits of track, cars and trailing wires.\r\n\r\nNow you can forget all the mess and bent bits of track and play the whole thing on your trusty Speccy.\r\n\r\nNot quite the same as the real thing - but at least you can build your own tracks, complete with chicanes and skid patches.\r\n\r\nAfter you've built a track or simply chosen one of the 17 famous Formula One tracks included ready made on the tape. Building the track is done by using a simple object menu - and the program even finishes off your track for you if you've got everything in the right place. Very user friendly.\r\n\r\nThe actual race screen is split into two - as in Pitstop II. In fact this game is the closest you'll get to Pitstop on the Spectrum.\r\n\r\nThe race sequence looks OK but it's a bit slow and it seems pretty easy to beat the computer controlled car. The growling engine sound effects get a bit monotonous as well.\r\n\r\nIt's fun attempting to beat lap records - and controlling the car is tricky at higher speeds. There's simulated G-force when you corner, and yes, you can skid off the track if you go too wild!\r\n\r\nNot a bad game but not a instant hit either. My guess is that if you are a slot car racing fan you'll have more fun with the real thing. But if you're after a well put together race game for your Spectrum than at least have a look at this offering.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"17","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tim Metcalfe","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 36, Apr 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-03-26","Editor":"Bryan Ralph","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bryan Ralph\r\nAssistant Editor: Cliff Joseph\r\nConsultant Editor: Ray Elder\r\nAdvertising Manager: Peter Chandler\r\n\r\nDesign: A.S.P. Design Studio\r\nA.S.P. Advertising and Editorial [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Chase Web, [redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Copy Controller: Andy Selwood\r\n\r\nDistributed by: Argus Press Sales and Distribution Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing Monthly is published on the fourth Friday of each month. Subscription rates can be obtained from ZX Subscriptions, [redacted]\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication, including all articles, designs plans, drawings and other intellectual property rights herein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of the company.\r\n\r\nArgus Specialist Publications Limited. ©1987"},"MainText":"Virgin/Leisure Genius\r\n£9.95\r\n\r\nScalextric arrives on the Spectrum as a sophisticated construction set with almost limitless possibilities for designing your own tracks as well as 17 preset simulated Formula 1 circuits.\r\n\r\nConstructing a circuit is simplicity itself with an icon driven system and there is the option to save the tracks you've built. Racing takes place on a split screen display where you have the option to race in two player mode or against a computer controlled car. There's also a plan view of the whole circuit which plots your position during a lap - a useful aid when trying to anticipate sharp bends.\r\n\r\nThis computer simulation offers plenty of variety as far as tracks are concerned but because every race is just a two car race the racing action can become stale very quickly. It may have been an idea to change the Scalextric formula and include a larger field of cars, weaving your way through back markers can be just as satisfying as winning.\r\n\r\nOne area of racing that has at last got some attention is crashing. In most simulations whatever happens in one player mode its always your fault and you are eliminated, whereas in Scalextric the rule is that the car approaching from behind is always the loser, but if the difference in speed between the two colliding cars is less than 20 miles an hour there's no crash - the front car is just shunted along the track.\r\n\r\nA good value package only lacking the competitive edge that comes from having a grid full of cars racing round the track.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"39","Denied":false,"Award":"Globella","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"Great","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]