Game Review: Formula 1 Simulator (Commodore 64, Mastertronic)

Formula 1 Simulator, Commodore 64, Mastertronic - IC0058
  • 6/10
    Score - 6/10
6/10

Summary

Formula 1 Simulator is not really a simulator on the Commodore 64 – it is much more an arcade style racer in the vein of Pole Position.  Get past as many cars as you can and complete eight laps within a time limit.  The circuits are approximations instead of fully represented, but it at least has a feeling of speed, is easy to pick up and play, and does have a high score and fastest lap challenge on all the circuits to give you that target to beat.  Take it for what it is, and there is some enjoyment to be had.

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User Review
7/10 (1 vote)

Unlike the original Spectrum game Formula One by Spirit Software, which Mastertronic released as Formula 1 Simulator and saw both MSX and Amstrad CPC conversions to follow, this Commodore 64 version (and indeed the Commodore 16 and Plus/4 release) is a different game coded by Shaun Southern of Mr Chip Software. As such, there are no ashtray shaped steering wheels to contend with, or anything like that. In fact, it is a different game entirely that only shares the name, really.  That of course did not stop the inevitable lure to players thinking they would be able to whizz around iconic tracks of the 1980s.

And Now, Excuse Me While I Interrupt Myself

There is a reasonable loading screen that shows during the cassette loading, and then the attract mode appears.  There is a good piece of Rob Hubbard music that plays, that certainly has a good pace and feel to it, and gets you ready for the game, while your car drives around the track showing the 3D effects of the road and the backdrop as the steering wheel in the display shows the car driving round.  Pressing the space bar shows you nine circuits in all – eight named after Formula 1 tracks of the time and a Grand Slam, which is assumedly parts of the other eight together.

The eight tracks featured are Zandvoort (Netherlands), Zolder (Belgium), Monza (Italy), Hockenheim (Germany), Paul Ricard (France), Österreichring (Austria), Silverstone (England) and Kyalami (South Africa).  Each track shows a high score and lap record to be aimed at. Many of those circuits were in use during the early 1980s when the game was made, and as such the little track maps on the screen show their layouts from then, with many that are in use today having had them changed considerably or not even used any more – case in point being Zolder, which was last used in 1984.  You select the track with the joystick and press fire to start the game.

Three Lights… Four Lights… Five Laps…  Pause! Go, Go, Go!

After a small little introductory ditty, the game starts. Your car is the red car and you need to complete eight laps of whichever track you have chosen, within the time limit.  You will see that there are three different colours of car which appear on screen which you will need to steer around and get past – yellow on the left, purple in the middle and blue on the right.  Once you get used to those colours, you can work out where to position the car.  There are only two gears, low and high, with the fire button alternating between the two.  The car also automatically accelerates without you needing to hold up on the stick, and down brakes as needed if you are in a tight spot.

Anything Can Happen in Formula 1, and It Usually Does

The pace of the game is, overall, quite quick, with cars coming at you at a reasonable rate once you have hit full speed.  While you do lose speed on the corners, you can at least to a degree manoeuvre the car around as needed to avoid the other cars, or slow down to get around the bend and pass them on the straight.  The backdrops can be mountainous, or with trees and hills, and scrolls smoothly as you turn the car, with the bottom middle of the display having some animation with the steering wheel as you turn.  Certainly, it does not feel slow and presents a reasonable feeling of speed for a Commodore 64 racing game at least.

With Half the Race Gone, There is Half the Race Still To Go

It should be noted the tracks themselves do not fully resemble the turns you would expect to make on the original tracks.  The 1980s Silverstone has the first few bends right but the left into Hangar Straight is then an immediate right which is not quite there.  Your mileage may vary on other tracks too, and this lends itself into taking it more as an arcade racing game with some approximations with the incentive to pass as many cars as you can, more so when you must steer around two at once which can come at you in waves on later laps.  There is a more frenetic feel of having to weave your way around as well as ensuring you do not run out of time.

I Should Imagine That the Conditions in the Cockpit Are Unimaginable

Once you complete a lap, you gain additional time, up to a maximum of 99.99 seconds, to then complete the next lap, with eight laps in all.  Inevitably, crashing into the other cars loses time for the crash and time to get back up to speed, with you often needing to press fire immediately to go back into low gear and get going again.  You can sometimes be on one side of the road where two cars are and it can prove hard to avoid at times, but is it worth taking the risk and the time hit of slowing down?  And there lies the conundrum on later laps as you attempt to get further in the race.

I’m Going To Stop the Startwatch

The game ends when you either fail to complete all eight laps by running out of time, or when you do complete the eight laps.  You will receive a bonus for the number of cars that have been overtaken, and if you do complete the eight laps, any time remaining is also added to your score, so definitely a case of getting the last lap as good as you can with the maximum time at the start of the lap, and this can mean a pretty big score if you get it all right – around a quarter of a million on a good play.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Formula 1 Simulator are reasonable, although the cars themselves are a sort of semi-overhead view that is not as well drawn as they could be.  The track does move quickly and smoothly at full speed and the scrolling backdrop is a nice touch, as is the steering wheel on the display itself.  The Rob Hubbard title theme sets the scene well and is a short catchy number at least, but the sound effects are not as strong and the screeching noise of the brakes is not that realistic either.   More work perhaps could have been put in to include some trees or Armco barriers at the sides of the road where needed.

Final Thoughts

Formula 1 Simulator is not as such a simulator – it is much more an arcade racing game that has some of the ideas from Pole Position.  Provided you treat it as that sort of game and a high score and fastest lap challenge, there is some fun here to try and beat the high score and overtake as many cars as you can within the eight laps.  It is playable and there are some responsive controls, and not needing to press up all the time does preserve the joystick a bit too.  The Rob Hubbard music adds some polish but if you do want a more realistic racing simulation, there are better games which fill this position.

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