The Collection Chamber: NETWORK Q RAC RALLY

So realistic... you can almost smell the high-octane fumes.

"We have lift off!" Just what you don't want to hear from your computer co-driver... He's screaming pace notes above the shriek of the engine... you're pushing it to the edge in the final thrilling stages of the RAC Rally. You're strapped into one of the five race-bred supercars, speeding in the exact tracks of the '93 Rally leaders and picking up vital seconds. Suddenly you hang a bend late, clip a bank and flip into a roll! That's bad news - damage your car and you'll dent your chances, just like real rallying.

Flying around the world's toughest rally course is one thing. Staying on earth is another!

~ from the back of the box

Not to be confused with the sequel of almost the same name, Network Q RAC Rally is a 2D racing game using scaling sprites rather than the fully 3D environment of its successor. Released in 1993 by Europress and developed by Pixelkraft it garnered above average reviews with most bemoaning the dated, yet playable gameplay.

In my opinion, racing games came into their own with the advent of 3D and Network Q RAC Rally arrived on the cusp of it. The tracks taking place in a variety of locations such as England, Africa, Australia and Sweden among others have very little to distinguish them beyond sprite swaps.

What they do have is a multitude of weather types. You may race tracks in the middle of a rainstorm or a blizzard and those that take place at night do have a gorgeous retro-look to them. None of these do much to how your car handles, nor does your choice of car. The main cause of cracks on your windscreen is sharp corners. Normally, a racing game's early levels ease you into tight bends, but you'll be tackling a number of hairpin turn from the very first course.

You begin in England where most of the 35 stages are located and it takes a fair amount of time to get through them. It's not like there's not enough content here. Between each course, you can fix any damage your car has depending on how much time you have spare. Sustaining too much damage appears to be the only way to get a game over as I managed to progress to the next location no matter where I placed. If you are having trouble, you can turn damage off in the menus (I suspect later races will be brutal). This removes windscreen cracks as well as the option to fix the car between races.

Network Q RAC Rally isn't necessarily a bad game, but one that was a few years behind the time upon release. That conclusion has been exacerbated over time. Retro racing fans will find better gameplay with the like of Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge or OutRun while modern gamers testing the waters on older racers will baulk at the lack of 3D that forever changed the genre for the better. Average at best.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox to bring the game to modern systems. Manual, Copy Protection Codes and MP3 Soundtrack included. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 6.58 Mb. Install Size: 9.22 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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