Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge

Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge from 1990 by Gremlin Graphics was among the fastest and graphically smoothest racing games to appear on the Commodore 64. The game offers a choice between several versions of the Lotus Esprit with different performance, and offers both solo races against rivals and a cooperative two-player mode, where one player steers and the other operates the turbo and shifts gears — an unusual idea for the genre that required good coordination between the two players sharing a single joystick and keyboard, and turned an otherwise solo discipline into a team experience.

Technically the game impressed with the smooth scrolling of the track and a sense of speed that few titles managed to achieve in a rear view on the C64, and even with the years that have passed, driving feels surprisingly brisk and free of noticeable animation stutter, which was far from a given for games on this machine. The tracks lead through varied environments and contain junctions with traffic as well as short branches that force the player to quickly choose a direction, where a wrong decision can mean drifting off the ideal line, losing precious seconds, and dropping to the back of the field. The controls are sensitive to precise braking before corners, while the open feeling of speed rewards players who take risks at the edge of the car's capabilities and aren't afraid to take corners nearly flat out, even at the cost of a slight slide at the edge of the track.

Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge received a warm reception from both reviewers and players precisely for its speed and playability, and it kicked off a small series of sequels on the Commodore 64 that further developed the same concept on new tracks. It's still cited today as an example of just how far the illusion of high speed could be pushed on this computer within simple 2D graphics, without the game losing playability or clarity for both players sharing a single keyboard.

Why play it: Fans of fast racing will appreciate just how far the illusion of high speed could be pushed on this computer within simple 2D graphics, even with two players sharing a single keyboard.