Revs

Revs for the Commodore 64 is a true driving simulator. It basically means that if you don’t negotiate a curve in the right gear (and right rpms), you are gonna end up in the ditch. The learning curve for Revs is very steep and you may spend a lot of time just to go through a single lap without hitting the (invisible) barriers. To be successful at this game, you basically need to learn the circuits so that you know in advance in which gear you need to take the corners. I believe the game manual had maps for each available circuit indicating the recommended gears but who has one laying around? So, in the absence of the manual, it’s a good idea to see at which gear you can take each turn safely and write everything down. Sometimes, you wish the game would show the circuit map (and where your car is) but it just doesn’t.

As far as commands are concerned, you need to:

* press the (T) key to start the engine
* push the joystick up to accelerate
* push the joystick up and press the button to go up one gear
* push the joystick down to brake
* push the joystick down and press the button to go down one gear
* push the joystick left to turn to the left
* push the joystick right to turn to the right


The video shows yours truly trying to negotiate the Silverstone circuit turns. Pretty pathetic but it gives you an idea of how the driving goes in Revs. No need to comment on how bad my driving is since I already know. This is of course the practice mode. There is of course a competition mode with other drivers but I haven’t gone that far in the game yet.

Revs for the C64 has two tracks: Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Revs+ has four more tracks and, best of all for us clumsy drivers, a Computer Assisted Steering (CAS) system that helps you negotiate turns. The game was designed by Geoff Crammond and published by Firebird in 1986 on the Commodore 64 (was originally released on the BBC Acorn).