Chequered Flag (video game)

Chequered Flag (video game)
Not to be confused with Checkered Flag (disambiguation).
Chequered Flag
Developer(s) Steve Kelly for Psion Software Ltd
Publisher(s) Sinclair Research Ltd
Platform(s) ZX Spectrum
Release date(s) 1983
Genre(s) Racing
Mode(s) Single Player
Rating(s) N/A

Chequered Flag is a racing video game developed by Steve Kelly for Psion Software Ltd and published by Sinclair Research Ltd in 1983. It was the first driving game published for the ZX Spectrum[1] and one of the first computer car simulators.[2]

Gameplay

Chequered Flag allows a player to select a racing track and one of three cars; two with manual gears and one automatic.

Tracks available include Brands Hatch, Circuit de Monaco, Osterreichring, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Circuit Paul Ricard, Silverstone Circuit and 4 fictitious circuits.

The game is viewed in first-person perspective, from the driver's seat. With no other cars to race, the aim is to complete laps in the best time possible, avoiding road hazards such as oil and broken glass. The player must also economise fuel and avoid the engine overheating.[3] The game was one of the first to feature pit stops, which would repair damage and take on fuel.[4]

Critical reaction

On its initial release, Your Spectrum praised the driver's view graphics.[3] In 1985, CRASH magazine described the graphics as adequate and the gameplay as good, but felt it was more serious than fun due to the lack of other racers.[2] In their 1990 retrospective of driving games, Your Sinclair also lamented the lack of other racers but praised the realism of the simulation, considering the age of the game.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Complete YS Guide to Driving Games". Your Sinclair (59): pp.77. November 1990. 
  2. ^ a b "Road Racers". CRASH (16): pp.45. May 1985. 
  3. ^ a b "Spectrum Soft". Your Spectrum (1). "But the most impressive feature of Chequered Flag is the view from the car as you hurtle like a maniac around the track." 
  4. ^ http://www.retrofusion.org.uk/article/618/chequered-flag/
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