Monday 26th January 2015

Test Drive III: Time For Tea?

PH heads back to the dawn of driving simulations with an interactive TfT

---

We're going to try something a bit different today. Because, thanks to the online library of MS-DOS computer games, those of us of a certain age now have the chance to once again play the games that helped us misspend our youth. And those who are younger can look in amusement at what used to constitute computer entertainment 25 years ago.

That's a Lamborghini Diablo. Honest

The game we've chosen is Test Drive III: The Passion. Yes, The Passion. Test Drive was the first driving franchise, indeed it survived until impressively recently, and TD III was one of the very first games to launch with what teenagers at the time referred to in reverential tones as 'vector graphics' - i.e., polygons and a (very) vague representation of a three-dimensional world. Its big rival was Hard Drivin', which had better graphics but was far more boring. Prior to this, driving games had all been two dimensional 'scrollers' where you desperately tried to keep your car on a skinny track with a one-second horizon.

The game runs within an online DOS emulator that might well not like your machine - in our experience it's a bit hit and miss, and we couldn't get the sound to work. Which is why we've included this video so you can see what you've been missing. The game also features some very early copy protection, where a policeman asks you for a fact that was printed in the official handbook before allowing you to play the game. Don't worry if you've lost your Test Drive III documentation, it's been hacked so you just need to press one character and then press enter. You won't need a mouse - indeed, the game doesn't understand if you try to use one - navigate using the arrow keys, and driving is as simple as up for accelerate and then left and right.

Obstacles include this beautifully rendered cow

Obviously the guys at Accolade were having some difficulties licensing cars, as choice is limited to a Lamborghini Diablo, Acura NSX, Dodge Stealth and two concepts, a Pininfarina Mythos and Chevrolet Cerv III. Test Drive II had a Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959! All cars seem to have a top speed of around 300mph, at which the whole game can be played; although you only have five lives to get to the end of the course. Oh, and the police will try and book you for speeding, which may or may not be the point of the game.

If you can spend more time driving than crashing then you're doing well. Tell us how you get on!

Watch the video here.

Play the game here.

 

And, for comparison purposes, here's Test Drive II (which was a scroller), and the far more advanced Test Drive 4 running on an original PlayStation.

[Source: Archive.org]

 

 

 

 

 

[P4ROT]

Wow, I feel lucky to have grown up with the N64.