Grand Prix Legends, PC CD-Rom, £34.99
Papyrus is a famous name in motor racing sims, specifically those with a North American flavour. With titles such as the excellent Indycar, Papyrus has proved that it can turn out the right stuff. Encroaching on the world of Formula One, however, is a different kettle of fish. Without doubt the best F1 sim to date is GP2 by Geoff Crammond and before that, its predecessor held the title. While Grand Prix Legends is undoubtedly an F1 simulation, it has avoided competing directly with GP2 by basing itself on the 1967 season. Some would say that was the golden age of motor racing - when the cars were not the stars, safety was not a top priority and the sport was not as money-orientated as it is today.
Everything in Grand Prix Leg- ends underlines how the motor sport world has changed: the cars, the tracks, and of course, the drivers. The machines in the game include the Ferrari 312, the LotusFord 49 and the Gurney Eagle. All have realistic car dynamics and the attention to detail almost borders on the absurd.
One example of the detail is that there is no running clock showing lap times. Instead players have to watch the pit-board at the end of each lap. Another is that the Nurburgring, unlike any circuit today, has 14-mile laps. Getting around one of these in less than 10 minutes is doing very well. ) These cars have much more beastly behaviour than their modern counterparts and they do not forgive mistakes. Even in beginner's mode, life can be frustrating for the novice. This is perhaps the most difficult (but realistic) driving game to master yet.
One good, quick test of any motor racing sim is to swing the car around and speed towards the oncoming cars to see how it copes.
Grand Prix Legends passes this test with flying colours, even if the sound of the resulting smash leaves something to be desired. Cars go spinning into the air, get mangled, and wheels fly off in every direction. Those who really want a challenge to test their driving skills and have the patience to endure more than a little frustration will find this game hard to beat. It is perhaps the only other F1 game that can be mentioned in the same breath as GP2.
[Req: Pentium 166/32mb/Win 9x]