Lotus Turbo Challenge 2

 

Amiga 1500, Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 (1991) game

I can see why I liked this back in the day - it must have been the first '3D' racing game I played, and while I was somewhat more impressed by the sequel, 'Lotus III,' since that had more variety and this one is limited to few courses, it was nevertheless a great entry into the genre for me. It still seems very fast and playable, the graphics are attractive, though obviously basic, but technically it works well, there's a good draw distance, the tracks undulate so you're not limited to flat courses where the only deviation is turning to left or right, and when you're hammering it downhill you get a terrific turn of speed. It remains limited, with no in-game music, just a few sound effects such as encounters with puddles of water or oil slicks (with occasional digitised speech), and you don't get a choice of cars to drive, only one view (from behind), and it's entirely time-based, requiring you to reach checkpoints before the timer runs down, rather than actively racing against opponents. But you still have those opponents, they're just obstacles to slow you down and force you into driving more skilfully (much like 'Top Gear Rally' on N64), as they often deliberately weave in front of your car, to frustrating effect. This isn't a problem on earlier levels but on the last couple where every second counts and slowing down from minor collisions will cost the race, it takes driving dexterity to win, helped by nuanced controls where despite only having a fire button and joystick, you can adjust how sharply you turn by taking your finger off the accelerator, making it your ability to react that decides success or failure.

The different tracks are set in unique environments with their own challenges - the variations of weather and location are appealing and show invention, and for a game dating back to 1991 it demonstrates a good understanding of the hardware and possibilities of the Amiga. I'd say I was most impressed by the Motorway Course which features two lanes of traffic (one of which is heading directly towards you, many years before 'Burnout' existed on GameCube!), barriers, lampposts, tunnels which alter the sound of your motor, and best of all, lorries crossing your path which you can slide between the wheels and under the flatbed to avoid. The majority of the levels are fairly easy to beat, taking a few attempts to learn their idiosyncrasies before earning you a password so you aren't required to begin at the beginning every time as was common in games of the time. The real skill is in starting from scratch and building a big score with consecutive wins, however, so if you're of the high score ilk that would appeal. I've never been much for that, preferring progress to scoring, but it's a way for the game to extend its otherwise limited lifespan (beyond the two-player option), which is wise.

The real challenge comes towards the end from penultimate track Marsh Course onwards proving very tricky - while earlier races had a few obstacles such as trackside objects (sometimes spilling onto the track), it's the mix of speed-sapping boggy areas which really impact your time if you don't memorise the layout of logs to give you a boost over them, and oil slicks that can send you sliding into the equally treacly water at the sides of the track. Not content with such punishment, later sections have the added pressure of requiring you to hit little green time addition bubbles that are necessary to boost the timer, and remembering their sequence is a trial! It didn't help my cause when I started out avoiding them on the assumption they'd sap my time rather than add to it... Storm Course is even more tough as you're really limited on time and have to have an almost perfect race to reach the end in time, memorising the places where rocks litter the road and where the red pods appear to give you a much needed speed boost. It took many attempts to beat both of these tracks, but as a consequence there was a strong feeling of achievement in beating the game. A real pleasure to revisit, especially as I never completed it in the Nineties, another thread crossed off the list of my gaming history. At first I did have qualms about rating it as I have, but since I gave 'F-1 Race' the same score, and that was on the Game Boy, I felt justified, and even more when I came up against the last two tracks, solidifying its place in my racing canon. It may not be the longest title (took about a week to beat), but for challenge and enjoyable racing it's a great example for the system.

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