Hacker Chronicles 2/HACKER2.BIN/2144.STNTDRVR.REV

Text File | 1990-12-22 | 4KB | 70 lines

 STUNT DRIVER

 What hath Pole Position wrought? How about STUNT DRIVER, a game so complex that
13 people worked on the programming; a game that comes with 54 pages of docs and
six pages of "Addenda"? I feel sort of like Ed McMahon, telling Johnny Carson
that they couldn't possibly come up with something that gives you more than this
package does. (And Johnny snaps back, "You are wrong, microchip breath," because
the folks at Broderbund have just released a similar game, STUNTS.)

 STUNT DRIVER comes with five pre-configured courses. The first, a simple oval,
is a training course. The other four courses are packed with hazards: oil
slicks, loop-the-loops, corkscrew jumps, hills, drawbridges. And you want
options? Have we got options! (This review is based on the IBM-PC version.)

 Choose from three difficulty levels, not to mention automatic or manual
transmission. You can race your Shelby Mustang against the clock, against any
one of three opponents (a VW bug, an IROC Z, or a Porsche 911), or go
head-to-head against a friend via modem. You can follow the action by looking
through your windshield (front, side, and rear views included), the windshields
of your competition, the helicopter view, or the various "TV cameras" stationed
around the track. As you might expect, with TV cameras present, there must be a
VCR, and sure enough, there is.

 There's a separate Config Editor that lets you change almost every aspect of
the game. Choose a different car (there are the four mentioned above plus
others, like the "Bluesmobile" and a Model T: 11 cars in all), or just change
the color of your car. Specify how much damage your car will receive in a crash,
how well your tires grip the road, even the amount of gravity!

 And that's not all! Because, as you may have guessed, when you grow tired of
the five tracks that come with the game, you can load up the track construction
editor and create your own track. The editor is simple to use: Point and click
on the type of track section, then place it on a grid.

 The IBM-PC version of STUNT DRIVER comes on four 5-1/4" diskettes (3-1/2"
diskettes are available separately). It's important to note that although the
sticker on the box mentions both 360K and 1.2Mb diskettes, the package only
includes the 360K format. The game can be installed on your hard drive, after
which a type of manual copy protection is used.

 STUNT DRIVER's "completeness" includes video support, provided for Hercules,
CGA, 16-color Tandy, EGA, and VGA (either 16-color or 256-color). The screen
shots on the back of the box don't even represent SD's best mode; they're only
EGA. VGA graphics are terrific. Audio support is provided for the Ad-Lib board
and Tandy 1000.

 There are, as you might expect, some major differences between Spectrum's STUNT
DRIVER and Broderbund's STUNTS. STUNT DRIVER easily offers far more options for
editing your environment, while STUNTS offers a greater variety of hazards. More
importantly, I found the car quite difficult to control in STUNT DRIVER: At
times it seemed too responsive; other times, not responsive enough. The novice
computer driver will probably have to spend many frustrating hours simply
learning how to handle the car effectively before really getting down and
enjoying the stunts here, although the expert driver will probably appreciate
the level of challenge and skill.

 Of the two, STUNT DRIVER is probably the more comprehensive package, and it's
the one that seems to require the greater degree of driving "expertise." It
takes time and patience to master the tremendous variety of controls, as well as
the basic skill of competently manuevering the car around the track. I have to
confess that I personally prefer STUNTS, both for the easier driving and for the
greater variety of available stunts themselves. However, each game is top-notch,
and each will find its particular fans. If you have the opportunity, check out
both games thoroughly before deciding which one to buy.

 STUNT DRIVER is published and distributed by Spectrum HoloByte.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS [phone]