Amiga games players who've been around for a year or so will no doubt remember the original Supercars. It was far from unique as an overhead view car racing game but it did have a few features that lifted it out of the ordinary.
Well. Fans of the genre can jump for joy now because Supercars 2 is here. And the most exciting thing about the sequel is that it caters for two players at once, something that the original didn't manage. On loading you are asked to select either easy, medium or hard level then it's foot to the floor time.
The circuits start easy, with plenty of straight sections and nothing especially testing. The game is viewed from above and the style of the original is maintained as much as possible. You (and a friend if applicable) are represented by a coloured car. The computer cars (and there are a lot of them on most levels) are all white.
To call Supercars 2 a race game would do it injustice because much of the game revolves around combat. After each race you enter the shop (assuming you were placed in the top five cars) and the winnings from the race can be squandered on repairs for the car and extra armour and weapons to increase your chances of winning the next.
In each race there are only two weapon types available to you, and they need to be chosen with care. The standard types available to you, and they need to be chosen with care. The standard types are front and rear shooting missiles which are activated by pushing the joystick forwards or back respectively. In the shop either of these missiles can be exchanged for homing missiles (deadly and very accurate), spinning missiles that circle the car for a couple of seconds, and land mines.
Other add-ons include armour (reduces damage to the car from deflections), a larger engine size and a battering ram which causes damage to the other cars when you collide with them head on. This may come in very handy when you're in tight bunch. As you need to fight for positions, every dirty trick in the book will be useful. Don't feel at all guilty because the computer drivers will pull no punches, rest assured!
Later levels feature everything you ever wanted from a Super-
Playing with another Human player means you are vying for the top spot with one extra contender about, which makes things a bit tougher. Picking on each other will only mean dropping out of the top five though so avoid it at all costs. Supercars 2 is a worthwhile game.