Red Rat
Software
48K
Disk £9.95
48K
Cassette £7.95
1-5
Players
1 Joystick/Keyboard
The thrills and spills of the racetrack at home.
That's the general idea behind this release from Anvil Software now
distributed by Red Rat. TV racing coverage may be confined to a
Saturday afternoon but you can enjoy the luxury of a continuous
flat-racing season seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year simply
by switching on your Atari!
The action takes place at the mythical Anvil Downs and features a
full day's race-card covering 10 separate races. Up to five players
can take part and, after all the names have been entered and
bankrolls selected, you are then invited to place your bets with
Honest Ron's Turf Accountants (about as honest as Arthur Daley, I
bet!) Every race carries five runners. The program boasts a database
of 100 horses, each assigned it's own name, colour, strength and
odds. It is, therefore, possible to study form and improve your
chances of picking a winner as the races develop. A likely story!!
When all bets have been placed you are treated to a computer
simulation of the race as the horses gallop from left to right
across the screen towards the winning-post. When the leading horse
crosses the line, the bets are tallied up and then added to or
deducted from the various bankrolls before moving onto the next race
on the card. When all 10 races have been run, the final bankrolls
are displayed, together with the winning punter, and you are given
the option of quitting (hopefully whilst you're ahead) or
progressing to the next day's racecard. Compulsive gamblers will
obviously choose the latter option - there's one born every minute!
The program is written in both Basic and machine-code but this
shouldn't deter anyone from purchasing it as the whole package is
professionally put together and plays just like a 100% machine-code
game. Text predominates but the action, when it does occur, is fast
and smooth. Check out the race animation of the horses, it's as
realistic as you could possibly hope for.
A DAY AT THE RACES is a punter's dream. You can afford to 'blow' as
much as you like without fear of emptying your wallet or losing your
shirt. More than that, it should appeal to a
wide range of Atari owners. First class entertainment for the whole
family.
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