ZZAP!64 - Issue 2 - June 1985

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* Try
Z
OOOOOOOMM! Remem
ber the time you first
stepped into a Pole
Position arcade machine and
wowed at the graphics and
sheer exhilaration of the experience.
Well, it returns again with
Pitstop II, a motor racing game
which allows you to have the
race of your life against another
player. Believe me, it's amazing
stuff.
When you load the game you
are presented with several options,
the first being a one or two
player mode. Selecting one
player will pit you in a duel
against the computer.
Six race tracks are available,
ranging from Brands Hatch to
Vallelunga, complete with its
mile long straight. You can
choose any of these ortakethem
all in one great Grand Prix
competition. Select the number
of laps and one of three skill
levels. Then you're ready to
race.
Immediately you experience a
big surprise. The display is split
horizontally across the middle.
Each display is a screen in its
own right and shoyvs speed,
time and fuel left. The cars are
seen from behind and above,
I i ke Pole Position
The screen halves show the
views from the separate cars,
and here's where this game
scores over all the competition.
The action is accurately
portrayed from both players'
viewpoint so if player A was
ahead of player B then B would
see A in front of him. If B then
overtakes, A will be highly
annoyed to see his opponent
appear from the bottom of the
screen, pull level and then roar
ahead of him into the distance.
When jostling for the
optimum line around a bend or
fighting for the front at the start
much aggression will be
experienced. It is possible to rub
tyres and try to knock your
opponent sideways to get a
clear path to overtake.
The trouble with driving like a
totally crazed maniac is that
your tyres will wear out.
Murderous tendencies towards
other cars like bumping and
Tyre mechanic with rear
wheel
Fantastic! This game takes its predecessor,
Pitstop I, and improves on it immensely. All
other 3D driving games, including some of
the arcade ones, pale into insignificance
when compared to this. The perspective on
the track and cars is near faultless, a point
where a majority of other versions fail.
Planning your race, as well asactually driving
it, is thrilling stuff, making this the best of the
Pole Position genre currently on the market.
Player 2 moves left into
the slip lane to enterpits
nudging, also taking corners at
251 mph. will eventually result
in a blowout. This sends you out
of control, off the track and your
race will be over.
The tyres start off black but
throughout the race they will
turn lighter and lighter as
damage increases. When
they're white, the slightest
bump will hurl you from the
racecourse. However if your
tyres show a lot ofwear then you
can make a pit stop and change
them.
When you race you'll see your
fuel gauge ticking steadily
down. The faster you go the
more fuel you'll use, therefore
needing more pit stops to fill
your tanks. It is just possible to
make three laps on some circuits
before you have to fill up. If you
try for a fourth on any course
you will find your engine
splutters and dies when you are
halfway round and nowhere
near the pits.
If your car does crash, it will
leave the track and stay there.
The other player will see the
wreck as he whizzes by, and it's a
great feeling to look in the
wrecked player's screen as you
Fuel attendant fills up the
tank
•Ultra-realistic split-screen motor racing duel
•Excellent 3D graphics, superb competitive action
pass him and see yourself
positively whip past and hurtle
into the distance.
The actual game controls are
simple: left, right accelerate and
brake. You can also switch on
your turbo by pressing the fire
button. This will give you
greater acceleration and speed,
and is useful at the beginning of
a race. There is a tendency to use
it all the time, but beware. On
longer tracks you will only be
able to do two laps with turbo on
non stop before having to refuel.
The control has a great feel to
it. If you're speeding along and
try sharp turns you will find
This has to be the best ever
driving game. It makes Pole
Position look like a Sunday
afternoon trip in a Morris
Minor. The sheer thrill of
actually racing against an
opponent, even the
computer, makes all the
difference. With groovy
graphics, smashing sound
and a panicky pitstop this is
enough to keep any manic
drivers happy. Myjoystick
hand is still killing me after a
nine lap grand circuit with
every muscle throbbing, but
boy is it worth it.
Rear tyre replacements
Front tyre
replacements
Diagram of circuit
(Hochenheim)
yourself swinging all over the
shop in a desperate effort to
straighten. As with most
computer race games a certain
edge is lost by using a joystick
for control. But when you play
there is still a realistic feel to the
car, partly because it's so easy to
lose control. This does not detract
from the game in any way
Beware the
Dreaded Cramp!
The game seems so realistic
that Jthere is a tendency to
wrench the joystick from side
to side. This is especially true
at corners where the feeling
is that the harderyou wrench
the joystick the quicker you'll
get under control. You have
to remember that this is a
normal game and that only
normal control is necessary.
to use a joystick with a
trigger — constantly holding
the fire button down on an
Atari type joystick will, give
you horrendous cramp over
long periods of ‘time. (Even
so involved
so, the game is
we didn't notice until we finished
the race: that's when
•
the pain starts.)
"TdEY pOGrZT C^I€.P