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Mercedes-Dri
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Truck Ra*ing
Interi iational truck racing might almost be history as far as the UK is concerned, but in other parts of Europe—Germany in particular—its popularity is undiminished. The major German races continue to attract bigger crowds than Bernie Ecclestone's Fr Circus. So it's appropriate that Europe's first truck racing simulation should come from Germany.
In fact, the version reviewed was a little too German. Although the main screens and menus had been fully translated, the multimedia background and readme files were still in German, so getting the game to run at all was a good test of its intuitiveness. The fact that you are reading this is proof of success, and the final version, which should now be on sale, will be fully anglicised.
Installation presented no problems, and a thankfully short intro routine leads into the comprehensive setup menu. All the usual control methods are catered for, and there are plenty of choices of sounds and graphics.
Unlike some simulators, you can get straight into racing on the Full range of circuits—nine in all, including Donington. 0 options include auto gears, ; lock brakes and a choice oft views, with camera posit equating to the driver's viewp the front of the cab or above behind the cab. We preferrec driver's-eye view as we four more controllable, but the get external view is also entertair and realistic enough to shov driver's head bouncing a: careers across the gravel trap
Once out of the pitlane wit automatic speed limit, the lenge of controlling the begins. With a decent joy steering is relatively easy, but ing r,000kW (r,36ohp) thn the bends is a different m; Leave the braking too late anc plough ahead in a mess of loc up understeer; plant the powo too rapidly and the scenery ro in an instant. Just completi moderately paced lap wit leaving the black stuff is a lenge to be mastered before
thinking of racing. The handling is realistic, even to the degree of cab roll in the bends, and tailslides can be recovered until a point of no return is reached.
Gravel, tyre and brake dust look authentic, as do the chicane marker cones as they inevitably fly through the air. The game's audio qualities are also excellent, with realistic turbo whistle and air brake blow-off When you progress to serious racing, your crashes with other trucks—oh yes you will—come with sickening and heart-stopping realism, and the crowd applauds encouragingly as you pass the grandstand. Less accurate, though, are the incab graphics. Poorly detailed instruments and a lack of realism in the driver's inputs are frustrating. Although some bizarrely shaped arms move the steering wheel, they don't touch the gear controls—indeed, there doesn't seem to be any indication of
which gear is selected.
This might seem to smack of ingratitude, but there are just too many Mercs, Although we realise the game probably wouldn't exist without Mercedes' obvious sponsorship, the inclusion of some "foreign" opposition would greatly increase its appeal. As it is, truck variety is limited to choosing which MB
team to race for. Being patriotic, we obviously selected Team BP Atkins and the persona of Stew Parrish. Fortunately for friends and relatives, this doesn't turn you into a manic practical joker?
Any PC-based motor racing simulation has to be compared with Geoff Cram rnond's Grand Prix series, the benchmark for the genre. Now in its third incarnation, it has graphics that could almost be mistaken for broadcast television. MBTR is no better visually than GPI, although some aspects of the driving experience are almost up with GP3. As a whole it is pitched just right: not too arcade-simplistic, but presenting a conquerable challenge.
The game can be forgiven its relative shortcomings, as it is the only one of its type. For most people, even relatively privileged truck writers, this is the closest they will get to racing a truck. If you have even the slightest interest in the sport, you should buy MBTR. CB