Adrenaline Racing

Anyone who remembers classic racing games such as F1 Racer or Motocross GP on the original Gameboy are in luck – you can fuel your thirst for petrol and speed with the aptly titled Adrenaline Racing.

In this game you have three levels comprised of twisty-turny courses and eight opponent racers who’ll do everything in their power to keep your podium finishes to a minimum. You are tasked with driving a suitably fast car around the course in an attempt to get pole position within three laps, and if you’re lucky, get a lap record for your trouble.

This is a very simple game which will test your limits for break-neck speed. Corners are sharp but your breaking and acceleration must be quicker to stand a chance at catching up your rivals. When you do catch your fellow racing cars up, you will have to navigate your way around them or else they will slow you down by bumping into you or cause you to go wide – which will cost you precious seconds.

As you play from a position just behind the car you’re driving, you see the course in a very low-to-the-ground eye view. This viewpoint increases the speed experienced but also restricts the distance you can see ahead – which can mean you’re virtually on top of the corner by the time you see it and can react. This being said however, if you are able to practice, the more you play – your memory of the course will improve, helping you to be one step ahead.

In all honesty, there’s no real penalty for going off the course other than it dents your speed (as you would expect). Interestingly however one thing I didn’t expect was there to be no wreckage or fireball after hitting objects on or off the track. Indeed, you could simply keep your foot to the floor and barely flinch a muscle the entire way round. This is a rather disappointing feature as it impacts the reality of the game and the edge-of-the-seat thrill you would desire from such a fast-paced racing style game.

When compared to Project Gotham Racing or 4x4 Extreme Rally 3D it really does seem a very tame option, and for me I would prefer any of the other titles to get my adrenaline fix.

Controls are simple, press 2 or up for acceleration, 4 and 6 for left and right. If you want to keep your speed whilst cornering, press 1 or 3 on the keypad to keep the pedal to the metal whilst turning.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and quite tricky game to get first place in and is very good to kill a few minutes. However, three courses, no improvements in vehicles or modifying anything else in the game (e.g. number of laps), ensure this is a quick game to play right away, but not one for long-term addictiveness.

Rating 67%

Positives

Quick to get to grips with and do well in almost immediately

Can compare your scores globally with others

Negatives

Graphics are pretty low quality

Not addictive enough

No collisions/damage or explosions for hitting objects on or off the course