Lotus Turbo Challenge

While technically a conversion of Lotus Turbo Challenge 2, the first game was never sold on the Mega Drive/Genesis, so it’s not a sequel on this platform, hence why the name is different. This is a behind-the-car viewed racing game. The racing takes place in eight distinct circuits, with new surface and weather effects such as desert and snow. Later in the game, you must race through two-way motorways with oncoming traffic (incorporating civilian cars and trucks), and face tougher levels aided by speed and time boost pick-ups.

You are no longer racing directly against other cars or over laps; instead, racing is time-based as you have limited time to reach each checkpoint. Reaching each of these extends your time, and any remaining time is turned into bonus points if you successfully complete the track.

You have two cars at your disposal, which the game chooses automatically for each level. The Lotus Esprit from the original is joined by a Lotus Elan convertible, which is slower but has better grip, hence the loss of the word ‘Esprit’ from the title.

You can play through the set of tracks either in full-screen or (with another player) split-screen mode. On Amiga and ST the game allows you to link two machines, each of which can have two human players. If one player successfully completes one of the 8 courses, all players can continue onto the next one.