Special Criminal Investigation

Special Criminal Investigation follows on from the successful game Chase H.Q., brought to arcade halls by Taito in 1989 as a direct sequel. The player once again takes on the role of a semi-official police officer behind the wheel of an unmarked car, this time as a special unit agent chasing down escaped criminals along highways and city streets. The game keeps the characteristic rear view of the vehicle and the smooth sense of speed that made Chase H.Q. famous, while adding new tracks and types of opponents.

The core of the gameplay remains a chase against the clock – the player must catch up with the fleeing vehicle before the countdown runs out, then take it down with a series of rammings before running out of car or taking too much damage. A short animation with a radio report about a new suspect appears between stages, giving the game the atmosphere of a movie chase. The controls remain simple – accelerator, brake, and shifting between two gears – so even a casual arcade player can pick it up easily.

Special Criminal Investigation never achieved the fame of its predecessor, yet thanks to its solid pace and straightforward fun it found its own circle of fans and is today a sought-after piece among collectors of Taito boards. It belongs to the last generation of classic arcade chase games before the genre was taken over by the more sophisticated racing simulations of the 1990s.

Why play it: For fans of Chase H.Q. it offers the same adrenaline-fueled chase with a few new tracks thrown in.