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With a name of such length as The Great American
Cross-Country Road Race, you may well wonder what
lurks beneath such a mouthful of a title? Well, it is
in fact another addition to the Pole Position genre,
but this time there are overtones of the Burt Reynolds
film, The Cannonball Run (you know the sort of
thing -- a group of speed freaks who regularly take
part in a high-speed race across the States).
The
game attempts to inject new life into the mould by giving
you the chance to take part in such a race -- from the
West coast of America to the East. Not only have you
gotta get from West to East as fast as possible, but
you have ten other racers, all as determined as yourself,
with which to contend. There are eight 'fields', that
is, groups of ten racers' previously established
times, for you to attempt to beat and you can choose
from any of the eight.
Four
possible cross-country races are offered, three (Los
Angeles to New York, Seattle to Miami, and San Francisco
to Washington) being of the straightforward coast-to-coast
in the quickest possible route style, and the fourth
is a complete US Tour, where you need to drive through
every city on the map. Once you have made your choice
it's into the race . . .
Racing
from coast to coast ain't so simple though. Not only
do you need to plan your route, but you need to be aware
of your surroundings and limitations. Police speed traps,
changing weather and road conditions, and of course
the ever present pressure of a time limit make things
that bit more interesting. Should there be a police
vehicle in the vicinity then the handy radar at the
bottom of the screen will bleep madly, informing you
of the approaching danger. Depending upon your urgency
you can either choose to pass by the police slowly and
politely or attempt to leave them standing by speedy
and skilful driving. Getting stopped will cost you precious
time, so any decisions have to be made wisely.
Current
road and weather conditions are indicated on the map
screen for advanced warning, and driving skills and
speed need to be adjusted accordingly. Snow, rain and
fog are there to hinder, and road conditions vary frequently
(if things weren't tough enough as it is)!
Continual
checks need to be made on your fuel, for if you should
run out you'll end up pushing! Fuel, or gas as the Americanism
goes, can be topped up from pumps at 100-mile intervals
along the route though, and advance warning of any approaching
pumps is given so that you can slow down and pull up
in time.
The
route you wish to take is planned through use of a map
screen and any racing is done in the 3D Pole Position
approach that has become such a standard for race
games today. A flashing cursor indicates your current
position on the map of America and you can move this
cursor to adjoining locations in order to select a destination.
Other cars and motorbikes also race along the road and
you get brought to a rather abrupt standstill on hitting
someone. The scenery to the sides of the road changes
accordingly, depending on which area you are racing
through. On nearing a city you are told that you are
approaching it in the form of a flashing message on
screen. The city in question even appears in the background
to reassure you of this fact!
One
of the original features of American Road Race is
the use of gears. The fire button acts as the accelerator/clutch
and gears are increased or decreased by pushing forwards
or back on the joystick, respectively. Gear changes
are not quite so easy though, as you must first build
up enough revs to change gear. If you over-rev the engine
you'll blow it and end up pushing your car to the next
gas station. Changing up too early means too high a
gear for your speed and will result in poor acceleration.
It's
possible for the race to end in one of two ways -- either
through disqualification (failure to finish within the
allotted time limit), or through actually crossing the
line in time. If you complete the race in a quick enough
time then you can enter your name in the 'hall of fame'
which can then be saved out for appreciation at a later
date.
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