J. CARS by Janko

 

J. CARS by Janko for ZX Spectrum 48K

   Dear colleagues, this time we have gone further, we have crossed the time barrier. There is nothing that this prestigious and celebrated competition cannot achieve, thanks to its magnificent participants. 

   This entry has made me take the DeLorean out of the garage and set the time circuits to October 1984:

   Time traveller author Janko sent in his first ever ZX Spectrum game for our contest, so this review is about his creation as a youngster, not his current self. What will happen to the timeline if he succeeds or fails in this competition? Can someone win or lose in 2025 while living in 1984? I think I'll have to dig out my Relativity books...

   This first approach puts a huge smile on my face, not a humorous one, but an emotional one.

   Unfortunately, the original loading screen was lost during a previous format change for an emulator back in 1993. And since the DeLorean's power was drained by the jump to 1984, it could not be recovered.

   So, when we load the game, the first thing we see is:

   Yes, it's serbian. In case anyone still doubted the international scope of this outstanding competition.

"Commands: Left.Z   Right.X"

"Goal: drive as far as you can!

You can maybe enter the next level or maybe even the

next game."

 

(translation provided by the author)

   The game starts after a keypress:

"TRAVELED 0 METRES" to the right

 "CAR" to the left

(translated by myself with some help of the internet)

   Why do we start at level 2 ?

   Having grown up playing games where your mind had to fill in the blanks, I don't see a black UDG that happens to be shaped like a racing car. I clearly see Ayrton Senna's Lotus 98T:

   I can already feel the strong acceleration...

   Wait... either I or the other riders made a big mistake entering the track and we are going full speed in opposite directions. This cannot end well...

   Dodge the cars or a big KRAJ awaits you.

  

(kraj = the end)

   After some expert driving by Senna himself:

(You have entered the first level!)

   Now (I think) I understand, the level does not refer to the stage of the game, it refers to the driving level (like in F1 and F2).

   More driving like hell:

(Champion! You have received a new game.)

   The game uses Sinclair's own BASIC scrolling routine, which involves flickering, lots of flickering. Once your brain is in sync with the flickering and you stop getting dizzy, the game moves at a good speed and is quite playable, with not much lag between pressing a key and the car moving. Basic sounds.

   If we park them all close together: Young Janko did an excellent job. A flawless game. A well-ordered code, no spaghetti GOTOs. The use of the scroll is something we've all used in the beginning, but it has the unpleasant side effect of flickering. Coming as it does from the distant past, it's a little treasure that I am happy to help preserve.

Scrambled Smile: 8/10

Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 7/10

Deep Fried Ice Cream: 5/10

Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 7/10

Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 8/10