''Crazee Rider'' is a

motorbike racing The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

created by Kevin Edwards and published by

Superior Software Superior Interactive (formerly known as Superior Software Ltd) is a video game publisher. It was one of the main publishers for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron computers in the 1980s and early 1990s, and occasionally published software to the C ...

in 1987. It was released for the

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was introduced as a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers, to provide many of the features of that more expensive mach ...

and

BBC Micro The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a family of microcomputers developed and manufactured by Acorn Computers in the early 1980s as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project. Launched in December 1981, it was showcased across severa ...

with an enhanced version for the

BBC Master The BBC Master is a home computer released by Acorn Computers in early 1986. It was designed and built for the BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and was the successor to the BBC Micro, BBC Micro Model B. The Master 128 remained in prod ...

. The game was particularly well received for the Electron as it was the first 3D racing game with corners for that machine.

Gameplay

The player competes as one of sixty riders in a series of motorbike races held on the real life race circuits

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

, Anderstorp,

Paul Ricard Paul Louis Marius Ricard (; July 9, 1909 – November 7, 1997) was a French industrialist and creator of an eponymous pastis brand which merged in 1975 with its competitor Pernod to create Pernod Ricard. Ricard was also an environmentalist and t ...

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently hosts ...

, Misano,

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority area of Northamptonshire, England. The village is about south-southwest of Towcester and northeast of Brackley, both accessed via the A43 road, A43 main ...

and the

Nürburgring The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...

. The player must finish in the top six in order to qualify for the next race. As the race begins, the player's bike is slow to accelerate so the rest of the field speed past. The player must attempt to catch and pass the other racers. The player may also gain bonus points by knocking the other racers off their bikes by side swiping them when the player is slightly in front. If the computer controlled racer is slightly in front when the bikes clash, it will cause the player to slow down. If the player hits the back of another bike, their bike is disabled for a short time.

Development

The game was originally conceived as an Acorn Electron car racing game as a follow-up to the hugely successful '' Overdrive''. That game was the only 3D racing game available for the Electron so despite only having straight tracks, became Superior Software's biggest selling game.
-> In late 1986, Superior reissued Acornsoft's BBC Micro only racing simulation '' Revs'' and were also working on the '' Grand Prix Construction Set'', set for release in 1987. Neither of these games were able to be converted for the Electron. After completing the

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...

'' Galaforce'', Superior asked Kevin Edwards if he would be interested in writing an Electron racing game. During development, it was decided to change the game to a motorbike racer and to also release it on the BBC Micro. The Electron version runs in a four colour mode with the player able to change the three main colours (the fourth always remaining black). The standard BBC Micro version is virtually identical but runs in an eight colour mode. An enhanced version was included for the BBC Master which included more circuits, extra in-game graphics (including extra animation and different coloured opponents) and music by

Martin Galway Martin Galway (born 3 January 1966, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is one of the best known composers of chiptune video game music for the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spectrum. His works include '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'', '' Comic Bakery'' and ...

.''Crazee Rider''
at Computer and Video Game Music

Release

''Crazee Rider'' was published in 1987 on cassette and 5.25" DFS

floppy disk A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, a diskette, or a disk) is a type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined with a ...

as well as ADFS 3.5" disk for the Acorn Electron Plus 3 and Master Compact. The original release included a competition prize of a £500

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle eng ...

."Interview: The Superior Software Years and The Future"
Crispin Boylan, The BBC Games Archive, 1998 The game was included on the ''Play It Again Sam 2'' compilation in 1988 and also re-released in 1989 as part of the Superior/

Blue Ribbon Blue ribbons are typically a symbol of high quality. The association comes from The Blue Riband, a prize awarded for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by passenger liners and, prior to that from Order of the Holy Spirit#Cordon Bleu, Cord ...

budget range.

Reception

'' Electron User'' called the game "superb", giving an overall score of 9/10 (with 10/10 for both playability and value for money) with reviewer Joanne Hutcheson concluding "''Crazee Rider'' is an exciting game - it's fast, challenging and there's plenty to keep you entertained"."On Yer Bike!"
Electron User #4.12, September 1987 A&B Computing, who concentrated on the BBC Micro, were less impressed, awarding only 7/10. Reviewer Dave Reeder claimed: "There is nothing here that marks bold new steps into unknown programming areas - the game is solidly put together but is not up to the usual high standard of Superior releases for the Beeb". He did however concede that "The Electron version is what counts and here, I'm told, it does things at great speed to amaze Electron owners".''Crazee Rider'' review
, A&B Computing, vol 4 no 10, October 1987

References

{{Superior Software 1987 video games Acornsoft games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron-only games Blue Ribbon (software house) games Europe-exclusive video games Motorcycle video games Racing video games Single-player video games Superior Software games Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games scored by Martin Galway