Kikstart 2

Kikstart 2 from 1987 by Mastertronic followed up on the successful motocross game Kikstart and brought physics-based racing through obstacle courses full of bumps, ramps, and jumps to the Commodore 64. The player controls a motorcyclist from a side view and must constantly balance the body's lean forward and backward so as not to lose balance and fall after landing a jump, which is the core of the whole gameplay — a single misjudged distance between ramps means a crash to the ground and the loss of precious seconds. The addition of a track editor let players design their own circuits and share them with each other, an unusual feature for its time, thanks to which the community could keep producing ever more demanding and inventive tracks.

The controls are deceptively simple — throttle and body lean — but mastering the rhythm of jumps and landings requires a considerable amount of practice and patience, because the ideal technique differs slightly for every ramp depending on its slope and length. The graphics are economical but legible, and the rider's little figure is animated fluidly enough that the player can see exactly when a crash is coming and when the lean is still fine. The music between laps is short and simple, with the main emphasis placed on the ride itself and the tension of every jump, which can end in a successful landing or a painful crash to the ground and the need to restart the attempt at the best possible time.

Kikstart 2 became a popular title in Britain thanks to its low price and accessibility, and it's often remembered as one of the games where players spent hours trying the same ramp over and over until they managed to clear the whole track without crashing. On the Commodore 64 it's a pleasantly distinctive representative of the genre, since it combines a motocross race with elements of a balance-based platformer, and even today it offers an addictive, easily understood game loop that lures players into chasing ever better times on the same, well-known track.

Why play it: Thanks to its unusual combination of a motocross race with a balance-based platformer, and its addictive chase for better times on a familiar track, it's a pleasantly distinctive title in its genre.