Test Drive

Moby ID: 107
DOS Specs
Buy on Commodore 64
$20.91 used on eBay
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Description official descriptions

This mix of racing simulation and arcade game consists of driving a choice of 5 sports cars on a mountain strip at the fastest speed possible without getting caught by the cops. To avoid them, use your radar detector -- or just try to outrun them if they spot you. Manual stickshift only, so make sure you don't redline or you'll blow your engine.

Spellings

  • 试验驾驶 - Chinese spelling (simplified)

Groups +

Screenshots

Credits (DOS version)

11 People

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 69% (based on 18 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.6 out of 5 (based on 91 ratings with 8 reviews)

A new style of racing game

The Good
Test Drive was one of the first games to move the scope away from common sports/competition-themed arcade racing, introducing a street-driving simulation with a realistic background. The game features five sports cars, complete with accurate in-game dashboards and real-world specifications, presented in a nicely animated selection menu. While driving along the winding mountain road, the cars behave according to their specs, but realism doesn't end here: There is plenty of traffic on the road, requiring risky overtake maneuvers if you want to maintain decent speed. Police have set up radar traps and will chase after you if you don't care about speed limits. Evading police pursuit is one of the funniest aspects of the game.

The Bad
Unfortunately there is not much scenery to write home about. Each stage looks exactly the same, a rocky cliff on the right side of the road, and a deep chasm on the left. No houses, no trees, just a few traffic signs now and then. After a while you begin to wonder where all the traffic is supposed to come from, since this seems to be the most desolate road in the world! While the graphics and presentation are pretty and sound is adequate, the steering is somewhat difficult to control. The keyboard input routine doesn't seem to detect multiple keypresses at once and will crash the game if a keyboard language driver is loaded. Control via joystick is a bit better, but makes you drive like a drunk because the steering wheel is not self-centering.

The Bottom Line
Test Drive introduced a new style of racing game. Attention to detail and the possibility to drive five most famous cars of the era on a simulated public road promise a very interesting game, but the monotonous scenery makes you fall asleep at the wheel.

DOS · by 5u3 (196) · 2006

The Best Commodore 64 Driving Game

The Good
I was amazed when I started loading this game and heard it playing music while loading. This was nothing compared the game itself. Sure you couldn’t upgrade your car, but this was the 80’s. You could pick your favorite car and out run the police, or at least try to. This game set the racing sim benchmark for years to come.

The Bad
Nothing.

The Bottom Line
The first real racing sim.

Commodore 64 · by DreamArcades (3) · 2005

Driving For The Computer Impaired

The Good
Accolade hit pay dirt with this game. The forefather of the Test Drive series, and a few sub-species (Test Drive Off Road), this legend introduced the in-dash perspective to DOS gamers. A choice of the hottest cars at the time, a beat-the-clock ordeal, and plenty of traffic and cops to dodge, this game was a favorite of mine when I had my 386.

The Bad
The problem is I no longer own that 386, or most of the games that went with it, save the possibility of Lemmings. Compared to the games of today, you're looking at horrendous CGA or EGA 320x240 graphic modes, drive-you-nuts PC speaker audio, and a linear plot that after about two hours of playing, gets real boring next to the possibility of playing GTAIII.

The Bottom Line
If you're a classic nostalgia gamer, or you still have your 386, Test Drive is great. The rest of us can find a better DOS (or Windows) alternative.

DOS · by The Cheshire (5) · 2003

[ View all 8 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
the father of the 90's racing games¿? juan gabriel zelada vargas Apr 5, 2023
Version 1.1 broken on DOSBox? Daniel Saner (3503) Oct 28, 2012
Weird screenshots on the cover art 1xWertzui (1135) Dec 1, 2011

Trivia

Commercial success

The game was awarded with an American Software Publishers Association's Gold Award for selling more than 100,000 units.

Awards

  • ACE
    • October 1988 (issue #13) - Included in the Top-100 list of 1987/1988 (editorial staff selection)

Analytics

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  • MobyGames ID: 107
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Olivier Masse.

Amiga added by EboMike. Commodore 64 added by Quapil. Apple II added by Servo. PC-98 added by Unicorn Lynx. Atari ST added by Belboz.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Victor Vance, Jo ST.

Game added May 5, 1999. Last modified August 17, 2023.