Chequered Flag ZX Spectrum

Description

Chequered Flag ZX Spectrum

• First-person perspective: The game was an early adopter of a first-person, cockpit view, which was quite advanced for its time.
• Racing against the clock: There are no other cars on the track. The goal is to set the best lap times while avoiding hazards.
• Multiple cars and tracks: Players can choose from three different cars, including the “McFaster Special,” “Psion Pegasus,” and “Feretti Turbo,” which offer different performance characteristics. You can race on ten circuits, some based on real Formula One tracks like Silverstone, Monaco, and Monza, as well as fictional ones.
• Driving simulation: The game features rudimentary simulation elements, including fuel consumption, engine overheating, and on-track hazards like glass and oil slicks. Pit stops are necessary for repairs and refueling.
• Complex controls: Compared to modern games, controlling the car with the ZX Spectrum’s keyboard was quite difficult and required practice. Steering was tricky, though the use of two keys for steering helped simulate analogue controls. 

• Early driving simulator: While clunky by today’s standards, the game was a pioneering effort in the racing simulation genre for home computers. Contemporary reviews from Your Spectrum and Popular Computing Weekly praised the smooth-scrolling, driver’s-view graphics.
• “Realistic” but serious: Critics for CRASH and Your Sinclair magazines noted that the lack of other racers made the game more of a serious, skill-based simulation than a fun arcade experience.
• A commercial hit: The game topped the UK sales charts upon its release, beating out other classics like Manic Miner.
• Positive retrospective view: Despite its flaws, many retro gamers and Spectrum enthusiasts look back fondly on Chequered Flag. It is remembered for its ambition and role in introducing many people to the driving genre.

Another great retro game available at Escapist Gamer – Adventure C: The Ship Of Doom (ZX Spectrum)