Prime Mover

STORY / GAMEPLAY
Wearing with your best leathers and sporting gear you are very courteously provided with 12 tracks to race. Each one can be randomly selected when in practice mode. You can also choose among 12 different riders, each one with his own riding skills, and then go to the bike shop to take one of the six available bikes. All the bikes are quoted as having different weight, top speed and handling capabilities, although there is little actual difference when out on the racing tracks.
Full race mode entails taking part in 12 races in respectively 12 locations around the world, with points for the winners and an overall accolade for the ultimate champion. Only 7 competitors will race you and although the tracks are reasonably short, relatively long periods of time can pass without encountering a soul. Admittedly, the speed of the passing landscape and looseness of control ensure that complete concentration is a necessity for the most part, much like the Super Hang-on arcade. You can shift gears by pressing up or down on your joystick and the fire button instantly. At the end of each track two tables will be displayed, the first showing finishing positions and points for all 8 riders and the second the overall picture of the world championship's positions.
Although limited in scope and appeal, Prime Mover is a fair old two-wheeled thriller in its own right. The feeling of speed is exemplary and, not being able to take a corner in top speed, is a welcome change to the genre. Our main complaint is that there's no two-players split-screen mode.

GRAPHICS / SOUND
InterActivision made a pretty good job on the game's visuals, maintaining its fast speed while managing to pack a fair amount of detail on the screen, with responsive controls. Packed with more than 70 simultaneous colors, the graphics are smooth and fairly aesthetic with small dips and rises on each track, adding to the realism. The backgrounds are well presented, scrolling in front as you try hard to deal with corners and bends.
The game's sound and music are similarly effective, with some catchy intro and main-menu themes and a variety of strong engine sampled sound effect during each race.