STREET ROD 

 Drag-racing around town can become quite expensive, especially
after you're pulled over a few times by the friendly neighborhood
police. (I haven't even begun to include the cost of a blown engine
or a wrecked car.) Well, STREET ROD is here to help us would-be
racing maniacs. (This review is based on the IBM-PC version.) 

 STREET ROD allows you to customize your own car and go up against
the bad boys (and girls) in town. You can choose from a variety of
cars, ranging from a 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe to a 1963 Chevrolet
Corvette Stingray. Remember, you don't have much cash to begin
with, so you'll probably have to settle for that 1940 Chevy Coupe
with the 6-banger. Just peruse the used car ads in the paper and see
what you can find. (Everything you need for your car can be bought
in the local paper.) 

 Once you get your car, there are many other details you can
customize. You don't want that old stock engine that came in your
1940 Chevrolet Roadster, do you? Throw it out and get a
327-cubic-inch gas burner! You can specify the engine, 
transmission, intake manifold, carburetors, and wheels that go on
your hot rod. You might also want to chop the top, remove the
bumpers, put on a new coat of paint, or slap on your favorite
sticker. And don't forget to tune your engine before you hit the
street. You can also retard or advance timing to raise or lower
high- and low-end performance. 

 When starting out in the game, it's best to just use what you
have; it's hard to put a new engine and transmission in your car at
this point. When you think your rod is up to par, hit the road and
cruise by Bob's Drive-In; there's always some hotshot looking for a
race at Bob's. Your competitors will drive by, so you can get a good
look at their cars. If you see someone you'd like to race against, 
you can pop the hood on his or her car and see what's under it. 
(Once you're familiar with the game, you can tell what type of
manifold, carburetor, and engine a car has. This will help you
determine whether you really want to race someone.) 

 There are two types of races: drag racing and road racing. Drag
races are about a quarter-mile long. You can drag race just for
fun, or you can bet up to $50. Drag racing is relatively easy: When
the light turns green, go! Trying to knock your opponent's car off
the road usually helps to gain a few car lengths. 

 Road racing is more of a challenge. You can race for money, or for
pink slips. The challenge lies in trying to keep the car on the
road. The faster you go, the harder it is to take those turns. After
winning all those races, it's back to the garage for an overhaul. 

 Once you have some money, you have the option of modifying your
existing car, or getting a new one. Engine modification is very
limited. You just buy the engine and put it in. Modifying the cam, 
pistons, compression ratio, or anything else about the engine is not
possible. (It would make the game much more of a learning experience
and a challenge if it were, howvever.) 

 You have more of a choice when selecting an intake manifold, but
not much: You can buy a manifold that lets you mount one, two, or
even three carburetors. Carburetor selection is limited, as well: 
Pick either a 2-barrel or a 4-barrel carburetor. Buying a new
transmission can be a bit more challenging: You can get automatic, 
3-speed, 4-speed, or 4-speed race models. Automatic is good for
beginners, but the 4-speed race transmission makes the car really
move. Tires come in three different varieties: generic, brand name, 
or racing slicks. The better the tire, the less wear on it. After
adding all of the extras to your car, it's off to Bob's for some
more racing action. 

 The object of the game is to build the ultimate race car, and you
have only the summer months of June and July in which to do so. You
must also beat enough people road racing and drag racing for the
King to be interested in racing _you_. When you beat the King, 
you've won the game. 

 I played STREET ROD on a 386-33 VGA setup. The speed was quite
adequate, and I would recommend a 12MHz AT, or at the very least, a
10MHz XT-class machine. Slower machines might limit the enjoyment of
this game. 

 You can use the keyboard, joystick, or mouse to control your car; I
found the keyboard to be the easiest. The game can be installed
quickly on your hard drive. The program uses a manual
copy-protection method: You're given a page number, and you must
identify the color of the car appearing on that page. 

 STREET ROD impressed me as a nice enough game; I was engrossed for
hours. Having a slight background in racing and building engines
might help, and a good imagination won't hurt, either. The graphics
are fair; EGA-level is the best you can get. The sound is gross, as
it is in many games that use the IBM speaker. But the main downfall
of this game is its lack of complexity: You'll quickly run out of
new combinations to try. 

 STREET ROD is published by California Dreams and distributed by
Electronic Arts. 

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253