Game Review: Kikstart (Commodore 64, Mastertronic)

Kikstart started out being released by Mr Chip Software themselves back in 1984, with Mastertronic’s re-release the year after with the subheading of “Off Road Simulator” underneath.  The original Mr Chip versions are not that easy to find now, and came without the loading screen that later appeared on the Mastertronic re-release – which even has a nod to the Kikstart logo from the front cover of the original.

Easton Neston Klaxon

Of course, it would be remiss not to mention the original source for the game – a fact acknowledged by Shaun Southern himself. Kick Start was a popular television programme shown on BBC1 in the UK between 1979 and 1992, based on motorcycle trials events.  Dave Lee Travis hosted the first couple of series, with Peter Purves the remainder.  They would have an expert rider on hand including Mick Andrews and Jack Stites from its heyday as co-commentators, and a course designed usually around the Easton Neston estate in Northamptonshire, once owned by Lord Hesketh (he of the Formula 1 team and James Hunt fame no less.)  This involved bunny hops, logs, oil drums, cars, rockeries, the limbo, steep hills, and water and to get through obstacle sections without putting a foot down, or penalties would be added to the total time.  It was a sizeable hit, always on in the school holidays, and the Junior version of the show was even more popular, showing off some very talented future trials stars of the future.

Hazard Lights

Kikstart then (note the subtle name change) sees you ride several courses which have various obstacles, as if you were competing in a trials race.  The instructions are helpful, as it notes that there are sizeable jumps over cars, trucks (with Mr Chip emblazoned on the side), buses and so on as speed is needed to clear those from the ramps.  Rough ground must be tackled at a slower speed and it is dangerous to jump.  Go faster over the tyres, hedges and barrels, and brick walls, screen walls and gates need to be handled slowly, and with care.   Most of the above cannot be landed on, but drop offs from those obstacles are allowed.

Options Galore

Once the game loads, a jolly version of Orpheus in the Underworld (and especially the Can-Can part of that piece) plays, with plenty of options neatly laid out.  Pressing F1 allows you to choose one or two players, using one or two joysticks.  Two players, two joystick is what you need for simultaneous play, with port 1 for player 1, and port 2 for player 2.  F3 comes up with the course selection, and allows you to choose any three of the eight courses by choosing its number – you can even ride the same one three times if you want to.  These include the likes of Ride It Rough, Jumps Galore, Stretch of Water and Sout’s Selection.  F5 allows you to see the high scores, and Y or N turns on or off the in-game music.  Once you are all happy, F7 will start the game.  It is all well laid out and easy to understand, with a small witty scrolling message towards the top of the screen.

Be My Boogie Woogie Baby

The game starts on the first course chosen, and if music is on, you will soon hear a familiar tune – a single channel version of the theme from Kick Start, which is Be My Boogie Woogie Baby by Mr Walkie Talkie, an alias for the German songwriter Drafi Deutscher.  You move right to speed up, left to slow down, up does the wheelie, and fire sets off the jump.  The controls are a little bit more like a motorcycle throttle, so instead of the less than top speed being however far right you may go; to keep at slower speeds it is more gentle taps of right rather than holding it.  That does take some getting used to, and you may find initially that you will crash because of the speed you have.  However, practice does reap the rewards here and you will learn the speed for each obstacle as you do so.

That’s a Twenty Second Time Penalty

Clearing an obstacle cleanly moves you to the next one along the course as they scroll towards you.  There are ramps of all sizes, with jumps over cars, trucks, and buses, and even a ski jump ramp for a big jump over water too.  The gates and screen walls are taken carefully, with a drop needed off them – a jump is too risky.  However you land though, it must be on the back wheel and a wheelie does prevent you falling off.  If you do fall off, there is the iconic animation of the rider somersaulting over to fall on the ground, complete with sound effects.  The screen then scrolls slowly as the time ticks on before the rider can be placed back on the course in a predetermined relocation point.  That really does eat into the time, replicating the time penalty incurred.  The time for each course and overall is recorded, getting less than 150 seconds overall will qualify for the high score.

Ticket to Ride

Each course has its own quirks which means that you may in some sections find going full pelt over ramps may work quickest, or the rough ground to go at a reasonable speed over to clear.  The jumps over the little gaps in the grass to mimic bunny hops, more a la Moon Patrol, can be a little finicky to get the speed right, and some of the relocation points do not always allow you enough speed to clear the next obstacle, notably if a ramp and a large jump.  The key here is to work out if you are going to lose time, how to lose less of it (going down a ramp can often be a relocation point for example) and take the pain a little bit. Encountering a gate is a go slow, but clearing those can often allow for a speed up to the next obstacle and keep your run going.  Again, perseverance does reap rewards here.  It is a shame that single player is against the clock only with no computer opponent,  but at least you get the chance to practice the courses alone before battling a friend.

Two Player Triumph

What really does give Kikstart a competitive edge is the simultaneous two player mode.  Both players face the same course and must get the quickest time for each course and an overall time too – just as in one player.  The urge to see where your opponent did well (or not so well) is strong and with the courses often being tight for time between players, there is a real sense of triumph when you do beat your friend and set a fast time over a course too.  And if you make a mistake, that iconic somersault fall is always on hand to greet you along with the time delay as you wait to be relocated – and it feels more urgent when in the two-player mode too.  It really does play superbly well in this mode and that stood out considerably even at the time.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Kikstart are reasonable with all the obstacles clearly defined – and the Mr Chip truck is a nice touch to feature as well as the side on buses and cars. There are some background clouds in the sky and a nicely animated bike too.  The somersault when you fall off is superbly done, and the sound effect to go with that just works perfectly.  The music has a half decent title screen tune, the single channel version of the Kick Start theme and some other sound effects, mainly the noise of the bike as you ride, which are all solid but not spectacular.  Nonetheless at least they do all work in the context of the game.

Final Thoughts

Kikstart is considered an early Commodore 64 budget game classic – and for good reason.  Take an homage from a well-loved 1980s TV programme, add in some well-designed courses and a splash of the theme tune, allow the choice of courses and a great two player mode, and you have a winner on your hands.  The game can take some practice but once mastered, it is ever so playable and the urge to beat the best time for each course as well as your friend is very strong.  It set a benchmark for what should be considered a good Mastertronic release for the future, and proved that the key is always playability, which this game had in bucket loads.  It also cemented Shaun Southern’s reputation early on as a name to look out for in future game releases too.

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