Checkered Flag

STORY / GAMEPLAY
Checkered Flag is a, simple to play, and very addictive racing game much like the good OLD "Pole Position" for the Atari 2600 video game console in the early 80s. The game is an absolute joy to play and it offers nothing that hasn't been done before as it implements and integrates all of its elements effectively. There are no bonus items, pit-stops, weapons to complicate matters! The emphasis is given in your good driving skills at high speeds. The action is viewed from directly behind your racing car with a course map, race information, speed-o-meter and rear view mirrors always visible. The controls are simple, including accelerating, braking, gear shifting and steering. There are 16 tracks and plenty of ways you can set up your race. You can select your racing mode from practice, single heat or tournament. Note that the Lynx version looks more like an arcade racing game rather than a driving simulator. The cars are a pain to overtake though and if you just touch one of them you spin out zero-ing your speed and it gets annoying over time. The opponents are very challenging but fairly straightforward, though they seem to be better drivers than you since it's hard to go through any track without stopping (crashing actually).

GRAPHICS / SOUND
The graphics are good! The racing tracks are detailed and colorful while the game's speed is smooth and fast! Actually, the feeling of speed is very convincing considering the Lynx's hardware scaling the devs used to make everything "fly" smoothly (note also that the old and effective color-cycling technique is also present in this game). The sound is awesome! The engine's whines alert you to shift gear, the tires squeal on tight turns and the stereo motor sounds of the opponents warn for overtaking attempts. More on that, the flagman's digitized voice announcing the start of the race and the musical scores between races are pretty impressive too! Note that, a much improved version was also released for the Atari Jaguar, later in 1994.