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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