Le Geek - Retrogaming Reviews

Rating
Graphics:	4
Sound:	3
Control:	5
Depth:	4
Overall:	5

Enduro

By: Larry Miller
Published By: Activision
Released: 1983

While there are quite a few racing games on the Atari VCS, from the lousy Street Racer to the surprisingly fun Dodge ‘Em, very few attempt the “behind the car” view that approaches the feeling of actual driving. Three titles—Enduro, Night Driver and Pole Position—meet that criteria, and while the other two may feature more dynamic courses with deadlier curves, Enduro easily bests them in graphics, polish, control and—most importantly—the sensation of driving insanely fast.

Borrowing from Sega’s Turbo, rather than beating a time limit or achieving the fastest lap, your goal is to pass a certain number of other cars over four stages— daylight, ice, night, and fog. The graphics are smooth and the engine sounds are simple, but effective. Gameplay boils down to “drive as fast as you can while still avoiding the cars”. It’s a risk vs. reward scenario that is easy enough for one round, but becomes quite challenging and exciting as the difficulty ramps up each successive day. One nice element happens if you’re short several cars after the fog stage. You still have a few moments until the sunrise, and you’ll find yourself driving recklessly trying to stay in the race for the next round.

Not only is Enduro the best racing game for the system, it’s also one of Activision’s best and a must have.

- Ben Langberg

Do you have the drive, the stamina, the grit to endure this race for 5 days or more? If so, an on-screen racing trophy will pop up before your very eyes. Now you can join the "Roadbusters" and really start breaking records. Send us a photo of the TV screen showing your winning race results, along with your name and address, and we'll send you the official high performance emblem.