Hard Drivin'

The Good
Although I found the game very disappointing, I have to admit it's one of the arcade conversions for 8 bit computers that more closely resembles the original.

It maintains both circuits from the arcade, as well as the traffic and the external replays after accidents.

The Bad
Almost everything. The 64k tape version doesn't have any sound at all, but that's only a minor complain. The main defect of the conversion is the sluggish scroll and the handling.

"Hard Drivin'" tries to replicate the handling of a real car through a progressive steering system. It's not very responsive, and what's worse, it has no return. If you turn right, for example, the car will continue to steer right until you center the steering wheel again. Which is almost impossible, specially considering how slowly the car reacts to commands. You either end up oversteering and taking the car to the roadside or driving in S figures, like some drunk driver.

The Bottom Line
An early example of driving simulator, with primitive 3D graphics and realistic physics.

Versions of the game for 16 bits consoles and computers actually do the original arcade justice, but this game just shouldn't have been released for 8 bit computers.