Badlands

STORY / GAMEPLAY
In a post-Apocalyptic world, people race with some specially designed, armored cars (much like the cars we saw in the Mad Max movies). Each race takes place in Badlands, a desolate area with ruined buildings after a nuclear conflict. There are eight tracks to try and you can play either alone against two computer controlled cars or with a friend (in two-players mode) and one computer controlled car. Finishing last will cost one of your two (in total) credits. You must not forget to use your mounted cannon, as it can slow down your opponents. Gold wrenches may occasionally appear on the track and can be picked up by running over them. Pick those wrenches up and get enough credits to buy upgrades between races. The upgrades vary from tires for better grip, faster speed, limited turbo boosts, missiles, shields and enhanced brakes. Each stage has its own unique details and settings. Apart from the aggressive opponents, there are several other hazards to alert you during racing. Spikes, oils slicks, water pits, moving gates, snipers firing at you from towers and so on, may appear at certain spots and will just slow you down. The control over your vehicle is simple to get grips with.
The game plays much like Super Sprint and is really fun. Just scoot rounds as fast as possible avoiding hazards and leave your opponents behind.

GRAPHICS / SOUND
The Amiga port looks quite close to the arcade original but with less colors (up to 16). Both the Amiga (and Atari ST) ports are almost identical to the original with nicely designed screens, without any fancy visuals or other special techniques. Simplicity is the key in the game's technical aspects (graphics and sound) but the gameplay is what counts the most. The modified cars move relatively smooth and the action is quite intense.
The game's sound on the Amiga is nice and you can select either in-game tunes or sampled sound effects.