Summary
Not quite like the arcades, but what you see is what you get.
The Good
Unlike
Indy 500, another early racing game from
Atari, you get to steer your race car with the Controller knob. The driving is much easier to control. You only have to worry about the acceleration and the left-right movement of the vehicle.
The game offers interesting features, such as the possibility for up to four players. Multi-player games offer more challenge, but playing single turned out better than I expected. The different variations take you on a racing track, a ski trip, and even a jet combat. I personally enjoyed the Jet Shooter game for two players, but the best thrill remains the Scoop Ball for four players, where you play in teams to catch balls and deposit them into a giant Scooper.
The Bad
The sound of the race cars is not much different from Indy 500, a good chainsaw rumbling that attacks your auditory nerve. The other games feature less aggressive sounds, though the swoosh of the skis in Slalom didn't convince me at all. Graphically, there is no big innovation here. We can only guess the kind of vehicle we control: though the race car is real enough, the skiers look quite odd. But for practical purposes, it doesn't matter that much.
Unfortunately, despite the variety of games Street Racer provides, the principle is always the same. The tracks are always on a straight line and you simply have to move horizontally to avoid-catch-dodge some object.
The Bottom Line
All things considered, this simple game will provide immediate fun. However, the replay potential is rather low, and the game winds up too soon on your used-to-be-fun shelf.
