The Cycles

STORY / GAMEPLAY
This is a racing game, so the only goal is to win. In this game you can choose three different bikes from 125cc to 500cc and five different difficulty settings from the hopeless amateur to the poesy pro. There are 15 different circuits to race and become World Champion. Before each race you test a solo qualifying lap to determine your place on the grid line and this also gives you an idea of the track's layout. Then all you have to do is to "fly" through the track and avoid hitting your opponents. There's also the option to choose automatic gears (on the easier categories) as well as manual shifting. The number of laps per race can be set by the player (up to 99) but the default setting is only three.
The Cycles is a classy racing game and you'll probably find this well worth some time to play, although the sense of speed isn't outstanding and the controls are a bit loose.

GRAPHICS / SOUND
Even though The Cycles is a challenging game, the graphics and sound leave something to be desired. The view is from the bike's dash, which works well (as it does with Accolade's smash hit, the Test Drive series) giving a good impression of speed. The animation is not so great but it's more important to have that impression of speed. The rear-view mirror is a nice touch and can be useful when opponents attend to overtake. The Macintosh version runs only on the monochrome models.
The game's sound effects consist of the standard engine throttle noises that suit well the game's atmosphere. In comparison, the Amiga counterpart is a lot better as it includes sampled sounds.