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PITSTOP
II
US
Gold, £9.95 cass, £12.95
disk, one or two joysticks
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When you first see this racing game you get rather a
surprise. The display is split horizontally across the
middle, each one being a screen in its own right, acting
independently from one another. Each half shows views
from the two separate cars along with information like
speed, time, fuel and laps -- and it's here the game
scores over the rest of the competition. The action
is accurately portrayed from both players' viewpoints,
so if player one is ahead of player two, then two will
see one in his screen. If two overtakes one, then one
will see two creep up behind him and zoom past.
With
this two-player mode, jostling each other for the optimum
line and trying to bump each other off the track becomes
part and parcel of the game. If you select single player
then the computer takes over one of the screens and
provides a pretty deft opponent.
As
is well known in the racing world, rubbing tyres with
another car, or belting round a bend at 251 mph, tends
to damage the tyres a little. If you do this constantly
then your tires start to wear out. This is indicated
when they turn lighter and lighter as you race. Starting
off black, they follow a nice course of rainbow colours
before turning to a near fatal white. At that stage
one touch causes a blowout and sends your car spinning
from the track.
If
your tyres start to become worn then you can make a
pit stop to change them. Simply move into the third
far left lane just after the starting post and you automatically
enter the pits. Here, you must control the tyre changer
and guide him round the vehicle to remove the worn tyres
and replace them with fresh ones; and you must also
control the refueler separately. Speed is of the essence
-- every second you waste is a second gained by your
opponent.
There
are plenty of options including six tracks, number of
laps, three levels of play, and grand circuit option
where you race each of the six tracks one after the
other in true World Championship style. After every
race you are given a scoresheet with the times of all
the cars and points allocated. After every race the
scoreboard is updated and with two players the going
can get very competitive.
This
is a superb racing game, graphics and sound being of
extremely high quality. It's like playing two improved
Pole Positions, one on top of the other.
Graphics
91%
Sound 87%
Feel 96%
Lastability 93%
Overall 95%
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