Grand Prix Circuit
| Developer: Distinctive | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Accolade | Sound: |
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| Year: 1989 | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Racing | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1 | Rating: |
6/10 | |
Recognized as one of the best racing games on the Commodore 64 (1989), though its Amiga version impresses less, given the competition.
It’s a fairly primitive but well-polished Formula 1 game that shares many similarities with Test Drive (from the same studio): the selection of multiple cars, the sound effects, the cockpit view (complete with the small dot on the steering wheel indicating the angle), the rear-view mirrors, and, unfortunately, the poor animation, which fails to convey a real sense of speed. That said, I do appreciate the interactive mini-map in the upper left corner, which tracks the positions of your rivals. On the downside, the backgrounds are sorely lacking in variety.
The game features eight well-known international tracks and three cars (McLaren, Ferrari, Williams). While the realism level is fairly forgiving, you’ll need to master the gear shift—after the first two difficulty levels, which offer an automatic transmission. Also, keep an eye on the speedometer’s red zone. Stay there too long, and your engine explodes! Pro tip: skip the rocket starts. This is the first racing game where I’ve managed to lose before even crossing the starting line.
Similarly, overtaking a rival “from behind”, a technique I perfected in Chase HQ, earns you a race-ending penalty and an automatic last-place finish. And no, I haven’t tried retaking my driving test. Why do you ask?
On emulators, regardless of the game version or settings, I consistently encountered frequent freezes during the race selection screen (second image) or a permanent black screen immediately afterward. My workaround (until someone offers a better solution) is to speed through both selection screens without entering your name. Make a “save state” as soon as the first screen appears.
They also released a similar game, replacing the cars with motorcycles. It’s called The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing (1989).
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