Chequered Flag (Psion Software) 1983 –

Описание: I managed a 1:36.38 lap around Paul Ricard in the McFaster Special — not bad for a 1983 ZX Spectrum driving simulator that demands patience, precision, and a surprising amount of mechanical sympathy. Chequered Flag may run at a modest frame rate, but once you settle into its rhythm and learn how to balance the revs, temperature, and gear changes, there’s a real sense of achievement in putting together a clean, controlled lap. It’s one of those games where every second gained feels earned, and that makes the result all the more satisfying.
Chequered Flag, developed by Psion Software and released by Sinclair Research in 1983, stands as one of the earliest attempts at a serious driving simulation on the ZX Spectrum. Rather than going for arcade thrills, Psion built a game around gauges, physics, and careful driving, offering ten circuits and three cars with distinct personalities. The dashboard dominates the screen, modelling fuel levels, engine temperature, rev behaviour, and gear ratios, while the road ahead presents a steady stream of hazards and gradients. With no opponents to race against, the challenge becomes a personal battle with the track, the car, and the limits of 48K programming.
Each of the ten tracks has its own quirks, from tight bends and long straights to sudden obstacles like oil, glass, rocks, and even lakes that can end a run instantly. The Feretti Turbo, McFaster Special, and Psion Pegasus all handle differently, with the Pegasus offering an automatic gearbox for players who prefer a gentler learning curve. Despite its simple visuals and slow redraw speed, Chequered Flag was remarkably ambitious for its time, attempting to simulate traction, power curves, and realistic driving behaviour in a way few early Spectrum titles dared to attempt. It remains a fascinating snapshot of how far developers were willing to push the machine in the early 1980s.