WEC Le Mans 24

The Good
Dou you like underdogs? Then this one is for you. "WEC Le Mans" was ported from an obscure arcade game from Konami, but Ocean did a hell of a job with the Amstrad CPC version. Simply put, this game is a gem.

The graphics, for instance, are simple but extremely well drawn, with lots of hidden features, like a rotating horizon or beautifully drawn roadside signals.

And there's the playability. "WEC Le Mans" has the best handling I ever saw on an Amstrad CPC racing game. The car reacts inmediately to your movements, without lags, and that allows for very precise maneuvers. The scroll is also quite fast, and it never slows down, no matter if other cars are present.

The difficulty level is also very well adjusted. It's relatively easy to go past one or two checkpoints, but you must be something of a zen master to finish the required four laps to the circuit to finish the game.

The Bad
Although "WEC Le Mans" is very close to racing perfection, the sound is a bit monotonous. It's not that bad a mistake, because it actually helps you to concentrate, and you get nice extras like a great tune on the main menu and a satisfying "vroom" sound when you advance an opponent, but the sound of the car when it reaches its top speed can get a bit annoying.

Also, missing from the original version are different markings for opponent cars and, most sadly, the night setting for the last two laps of the game. Two things that would have helped to overcome the rather monotonous gameplay.

The Bottom Line
An underrated game if I ever saw one, this was my favourite racing game for the Amstrad CPC back on its days. It may look dated, but it's still a hell of a game, if you can stand its "less is more" philosophy.