Test Drive

The Good
It's all relative, you know? It was either Test Drive or Poll Position for another 3 to 4 years. Besides, it's fun running away from cops.

The Bad
Almost everything about this game is cheezy compared to today's standards. But even back in the 80s, the sound in this game was just "too much."

The Bottom Line
Gaming has come a long, long, long way since the late 80s.

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.

The Good
Hmm -- well, the car selection is really, really cool, and I did play the game quite often on the 8088.

The Bad
The controls are sheer horror, the graphics are just crap (besides the car selection), the music/sfx (or lack thereof) doesn't add much to the general atmosphere either.

The Bottom Line
Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap. And a bit more crap. Stay the hell away from this one.