Speed Busters on PC CD-ROM

• Windows 95/98
• Pentium PC 166 Mhz
• 16Mb RAM
• Quad-speed CD-ROM Drive
• 4Mb 3Dfx or Direct 3D supported PCI graphics accelerator; DirectX 5.0 (included on CD)
• Hard Disk space: 35Mb, 115Mb, 257Mb, 334Mb options available

Test machine: Intel P200 MMX with Windows 98, 128Mb SDRAM, 20xCD-ROM, DirectX 6.0, Soundblaster AWE64 Value, Maxi Gamer 3Dfx card.

Speed Bustersis the racing car game where the cops are on your sideand it pays to speed since they’ll reward you with money, the more you breakthe law. The police have lost their minds and will reward the fastest driversto pass their strategically placed radar guns. You’ll earn cash to upgrade yourcar – chosen from eight vehicles based on models from the last four decades.Tackle a wide range of terrain, dodge a whole variety of hazards, and stormthrough detailed environments based on real North American Locations,encountering a variety of terrain ranging from deserts, beaches, country roads,canyons and forests to city streets.

Seven true-to-life American tracks are available, with eight customisable carsallowing authentic damage effects. When you upgrade it, you can also stockup on weapons to attack the opposition and nitro to speed past them without acare. If that’s not enough, up to six players can race via modem, network orthe internet. Not only that, but you can download cars and paint jobs over theinternet.

Want to play before you pay? Then download the playable demo at the officialWebsite: www.speedbusters.com

Installing and Running the Game

Installation is simple and the CD should autorun the procedure upon placingit in the CD-ROM drive. Four options for taking up hard disk space are availableranging from a minimum install of 35Mb to a full install of 334Mb. If you’vegot the space handy, go for the full monty as you’ll want this game runningas fast as possible. Not sure if you have all the correct components installedbefore you run this procedure? Not a problem – the installer will analyse yoursystem on the spot and customise accordingly.

After installing the game, there follows a plethora of visual options from whichto select, so low-end Pentiums may also be able to make use of this game.

When you begin, you’ll have the choice between four different game modes :arcade, championship, multiplayer and online, each offering its own uniquechallenges. When you get used to the tracks, the “mirror” option will flip thepicture over, a la the ever-popular Playstation game Rage Racer.

Playing the Game

In-game Controls

These are re-definable but I found them best as :

Cursor Up: Accelerate
Cursor Down: Brakes
Cursor Right: Turn Right
Cursor Left: Turn Left
S: Nitro
H: Horn
Space Bar: Hand Brake
A: Gear-change Up
F2: Change in/above-car camera view
F8: Change in/above-car/track-side camera view (replay mode)

Graphics, Sound and Playability

It may sound like a well-used phrase to say a game is “fast and furious” butit surely applies to this one. The first thing that strikes you is how fastthis game runs, even when other animated parts of the scenery grace the screenand the complex backgrounds come into full view; and it doesn’t matter howcomplicated your car looks, the slow-down of the frame-rate is either zeroor negligible. One of my favourite tracks is “California” featuring a tripround the Paramount Studios lot. Being a big film buff, I could ask why a hugeTyrannosaurus Rex is stomping around that area when Jurassic Park wasmade by Universal Studios who have their own movie tour… but I’ll shut up now.

After each race you can view a replay watched from a few positions in andabove your car, or from various cameras placed around the track-side. Watchingthese take your breath away by seeing the sheer fluidity and speed of movement.

In terms of sound, most games seem content to chug out a few generic motorengine effects, but not this game. The best moments are when all the other carssurround you, particularly at the start, as the surround sound echoes all aroundfrom all the right speakers. I don’t believe this game if officially recognisedas having Dolby Surround, but if not the effect is perfectly there.

For those who want a bit of music while they play, there are some rockingtracks to listen to as you rage hard, while the menu options are accompaniedby a quaint tune that sounds akin to incidental music from Ridley Scott’sThelma And Louise. Personally, when I’m racing, I prefer to let theroar of the engines speak for themselves.

The handling of the car takes a little time to get used to, like the name ofthe game I’m about to mention in the next paragraph, but once you do, you don’tlose the flair for it and the simple nature of control serves to increase yourenjoyment even further. However, don’t use all your nitro in one go. That’s onemistake I often made until I learned to use it only when it necessary, to getme out of a tight spot usually after smashing into something and being forcedto grind to a halt.

Overall

What the PC has been crying out for is a good, fast car-racing game that borderson the rally style. Look no further, since this is it and is one I’d liken tothe Playstation/N64 classic, V-Rally, except that Speed Bustersis even faster. It staggers me that an old-hand like Sega, who turn out arcadeclassics like Sega Rally are not able to replicate this on a PC resultingin a slow and turgid, whereas Ubisoft can pull out all the stops and let ripwith this delight.

If you don’t have a 3Dfx card in your PC then get one now. They only costaround £50 thesedays for the same model I have and for the visual eye-candyabout to expand you mind, if you never play another game, you’ll be gladyou experienced this one.

If you’re after some more info on Ubisoft’s games, you can checkout their official Website atwww.ubisoft.com and theSpeedbusters official site atwww.speedbusters.com.GRAPHICS : *****SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC: *****PLAYABILITY: ****ORIGINALITY : ***ENJOYMENT : *****——————————-OVERALL : ****½

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1999.