Chequered Flag (video game)
{{For|similar titled video games|Checkered Flag (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|1983 racing video game}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Chequered Flag
|image = Chequered Flag.jpg
|developer = Psion Software
|publisher = Sinclair Research
|series =
|designer = Stephen Kelly
Steve Townsend
Cecil Ward{{cite magazine |title=The Making of Chequered Flag|magazine=Retro Gamer|issue=118|publisher=Imagine|date=15 July 2013|page=30|author=Ian Marks}}
|engine =
|genre = Sim racing
|modes = Single-player
|platforms = ZX Spectrum
}}
Chequered Flag is a racing video game developed by Psion Software and published by Sinclair Research in 1983. It was the first driving game published for the ZX Spectrum{{cite magazine|date=November 1990 |title=The Complete YS Guide to Driving Games |magazine=Your Sinclair |issue=59 |page=77|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=280&page=78|access-date=28 September 2022}} and one of the first computer car simulators.{{cite magazine |date=May 1985 |title=Road Racers |magazine=CRASH |issue=16 |page=45|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=983&page=45|access-date=28 September 2022}}
Gameplay
Chequered Flag allows a player to select a racing track and one of three cars; two with manual gears and one automatic. Two of the cars are named "Feretti Turbo" and "McFaster Special", in reference to Ferrari and McLaren, who had come first and second in the 1982 Formula One season. The third car is the "Psion Pegasus".
Tracks available include Brands Hatch, Circuit de Monaco, Österreichring, Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Circuit Paul Ricard, Silverstone Circuit and 4 fictitious circuits.
The game is viewed in first-person perspective, from the driver's seat, with each car having a different dashboard layout. With no other cars to race, the aim is to complete laps in the best time possible, avoiding road hazards such as oil and broken glass. The player must also economise fuel and avoid the engine overheating.{{cite magazine |title=Spectrum Soft|magazine=Your Spectrum|issue=1|publisher=Sportscene Specialist Press|date=January 1984|page=53|url=https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=316&page=53|access-date=10 October 2023}} The game was one of the first to feature pit stops, which would repair damage and take on fuel.{{Cite web |url=http://www.retrofusion.org.uk/article/618/chequered-flag/# |title=Chequered Flag - Retrofusion |access-date=2011-10-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044511/http://www.retrofusion.org.uk/article/618/chequered-flag/# |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| CRASH = 71%{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/crash/3|title=Crash|website=worldofspectrum.org}}
| rev1 = Home Computing Weekly
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/home-computing-weekly/38|title=Home Computing Weekly|website=worldofspectrum.org}}
| rev2 = Your Computer
| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/your-computer/12|title=Your Computer|website=worldofspectrum.org}}
| rev3 = Personal Computer Games
| rev3Score = 8/10{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/personal-computer-games/6|title=Personal Computer Games|website=worldofspectrum.org}}
}}
On its initial release, Your Spectrum praised the driver's view graphics, with Popular Computing Weekly praising the smooth scrolling.{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/popular-computing-weekly/44|title=Popular Computing Weekly|website=worldofspectrum.org}} ZX Computing summarised the game as "realistic,... exciting and highly enjoyable".{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/zx-computing/11|title=ZX Computing|website=worldofspectrum.org}}
In 1985, CRASH magazine described the graphics as adequate and the gameplay as good, but felt it was more serious than fun due to the lack of other racers. Sinclair User said it was up to the usual Psion standards, and that the quality and the detail included in the game made it one of the best games for the Spectrum.{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/sinclair-user/21|title=Sinclair User|website=worldofspectrum.org}}
In their 1990 retrospective of driving games, Your Sinclair also lamented the lack of other racers, but they praised the realism of the simulation, considering the age of the game. The game reached number one in the UK sales charts, ahead of Manic Miner, and being replaced by Jet Set Willy.{{Cite web|url=https://worldofspectrum.org/archive/magazines/personal-computer-games/7|title=Personal Computer Games|website=worldofspectrum.org}}
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References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{WoS_game|id=0000912|name=Chequered Flag}}
{{Formula One games}}
Category:Formula One video games
Category:ZX Spectrum-only games
Category:Video games set in Kent
Category:Video games set in Austria
Category:Video games set in France
Category:Video games set in Italy
Category:Video games set in Monaco
Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom