We're arguing about this game. Lofty petrol pump attendant and part-time Formula One driver, Steve McGill harbours a certain affection for the young whippersnapper while your correspondent regards it with some suspicion, proferring the nod towards old rogue Micro Machines as the benchmark for such fare.
Why are we comparing these games? On the face of it, racing along desks and pool tables bears little relation to ATR's `Grand' Canyon, Forest, Sport and Space tracks, yet the basic premise is remarkably similar. Motor at such pace as to send your hapless opponent scrolling off the bottom of the screen, gaining points in the process. This process is the only way to produce a two-player racing game without splitting the screen - no problem here, for it works just fine.
Any road up, ATR arrives and professionals as we are, we know the job really could not be done without taking another close look at Micro Machines. And again. Micro Machines is a fantastic game, friends. Fantastic.
But ATR is the subject of the month, so without much ado, on we plough. Team 17 are not known for producing turkeys but their original foray into racing territory produced the monumentally uninspiring Overdrive. It wasn't a BAD game as such, but there were numerous superior racing games already perched on shelves. Keen to set the record straight, Team 17 got behind the wheel and came up with ATR.
I'm at the wheel of the options screen. The difficulty level is set on Easy, the music firmly clicked Off. Jump into Arcade mode, where you race against four computer opponents, then choose one of three sets of tracks on the menu - Forest, Sports and Canyon. There's a Space track too but you're not allowed to drive on that until you've raced through the others. Nor can you race on the Space track in the two-player head-to-head Battle mode until the Arcade mode is conquered. Why? Because, the Space tracks are the second best, after the Sports.
So it's hard. But then that criticism could be levelled at many a racing game, particularly in one-player mode. Micro Machines is no picnic on the breakfast table. No, what really irks with ATR is the dubious quality of the tracks. Sports levels aside (there are 28 courses in all), the tracks are no fun to ride which is particularly disappointing because the car control is excellent - you can skid happily around corners, less happily on the snowridden courses, but you do get the feeling that you're in charge of a motor vehicle.
But the courses. The Sports tracks are fun, simply because they are the most uncluttered of the four, although Team 17 have insisted that cones annoyingly regenerate, even when you persist with the No Cones option. The Forest tracks are awful. Annoying. Frustrating. Barely visible arrows direct you along the course but when you're moving at pace, cars all around, it's difficult to keep an eye out for them. The Canyon courses are equally poor, while the Space tracks are quite a frolic - particularly in head-to-head mode because there are limited passing places and you have to make your move at just the right times on the circuit.
Power-ups litter the tracks - some reverse your opponents controls, some boost your bank balance enabling the purchase of choice kit at the shop, while others send you into overdrive, shooting you forward at such speed as to make any benefit redundant.
This isn't the game we were hoping for. With a little more care and attention on the courses this could have been jolly. As it is, only one of the four sets of tracks stand the test. Decent circuits would gain ATR about 10 per cent more; as it is, it just ain't good enough.
Fifth place eh? Now there's a surprise. Notice the circular shadows - now where have we seen those before? In Micro Machines, perhaps?
In the mode
Anyway, Arcade mode it is, Sports track selected. Go for the novice four-by-four jeep, bound to be the most tame. Then get to the shop and purchase your add-ons - power steering, acceleration, turbos, and grip. Race on. Promising start, in first place at the bend. Knocked a bit then, second place though. Damn, why do the computer cars never skid on oil patches? Damn, why, when a computer car overtakes you, does it disappear out of sight, never to be seen again until the next race? And that's only if you qualify, of course, and to make the next round you have to get into third spot at least.
The shop contains all the extras to make you champion. If only. Can I take the furry dice, please?
ATR
OVERALL VERDICT
Not quite the racing game Team 17 promised. ATR
is OK, but no more than that.
SCORE : 70 %
Publisher: Team 17 - 01924 267776
Price: £25.99
Versions: A500/A600/A1200
System requirements: 1Mb
Release date: Out now
