''500cc Grand Prix'' is a motorcycle racing game developed by

Microïds Microids (formerly Microïds) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners (including Activisio ...

which was released in 1987 on multiple platforms including the

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Si ...

Microsoft DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...

, the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness W ...

and the

Atari ST The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first per ...

(where it was one of the first French-made games for the system). While the graphics and animation were relatively simple, the inclusion of a multiplayer mode was well-appreciated by fans and reviewers.

Gameplay

The game provides a two-player split-screen mode and three levels of general difficulty. Players can choose between the training mode, a single Grand Prix or the whole World Championship. During the races, the screen is always split in two vertically and shows the point of view of two racers. In single player mode you can choose one side of the screen which will show your motorcycle, while the other bike is a computer controlled one. In two player mode each player is given one side of the screen. The view for each half is in the third person perspective behind the bike, although at the bottom there is also a

Heads Up Display A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...

showing various indicators. The controls consist of acceleration, braking, steering (which is more or less pushed at 2 different inclinations), and gear change between the 4 available gears. In the event of an accident or crash, the player only loses time and can start immediately from a stationary position where they crashed. In the training mode there are only 2 laps and 2 racers per circuit, whereas in a single Grand Prix there are 9 laps and 6 racers (except on the C64 where there are only 4 racers) for each circuit. The game contains a total of 12 available circuits, which are inspired by real circuits. In the DOS and Atari ST versions, there is a save mode after every race. Finally in the World Championship mode, the player(s) must run all 12 circuits with the aim of obtaining a final classification/score based on their placements across all 12 races. Just like in the Grand Prix mode each circuit contains 9 laps, with 6 participating motorcycles (again with the exception of the C64 which only has 4) and there is a save mode after each race in the DOS and Atari ST versions.

References

External links

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Microïds

''500cc Grand Prix''
at thelegacy.de/Museum 1987 video games Microïds games Racing video games Amstrad CPC games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games DOS games Europe-exclusive video games Video games developed in France Grand Prix motorcycle racing {{motorcycle-racing-videogame-stub