AutoDuel

The Good
Autoduel was one of the first role-playing/action hybrids for the Apple II. Building your vehicles was very engaging and challenging. Do you add weapons to your courier car, or do you leave it stripped so you can haul that extra cargo? Do you use the laser which had a huge number of shots but drains your battery or the Recoiless Rifle which is very heavy and has limited ammo? Bigger engine or more armor? And so on....

It is fortunate that the game allowed you to have several vehicles, because it let you explore all the ways of playing. Autoduel had a storyline and a cursory plot, but the real point of its non-linear play was to complete deliveries and to see just how many vehicles you could destroy, salvage, or escape (depending on your playing style).

Driving from town to town was fun even if there wasn't much traffic (that is, enemies). You always had to be careful to not get lost or you would have to abandon your vehicle and walk to town, defenseless against any onslaught. Some of the roads, particularly the route you had to take to finish the final delivery quest, were particularly long and convoluted.

Finally, despite all of the weapons and armor you could put on your vehicle, driving your vehicle and firing/switching weapons was straightforward. It was easy to learn the basics, but once a few enemies were chasing you and you had to rely strictly on your tires and driving skill, well, that separated the Speedster from the roadkill.

The Bad
The only thing not to like about Autoduel was the lack of a real plot. Sure there was a quest once you had built up enough prestige, but it would have been fun to have more types of missions such as bounties on enemy drivers.

The Bottom Line
Autoduel is a fast-paced action/RPG that puts you in the driver's seat of a fast killing machine. You design and build your own vehicles to earn money and prestige fighting in the arena, delivering valuable packages, or just salvaging what's left of the bandits you left in a melted, smoking heap on the open road.