Carmageddon Splat Pack on PC

• CD-ROM IBM PC and Compatibles
• Windows 95 or MSDOS 6.2 and above. Windows 95 version requires DirectX 5 drivers (supplied)
• Intel Pentium Processor P75 and above
• 16Mb RAM
• Hard Disk Space: Install 32Mb, 51Mb or 147Mb version
• VGA, SVGA and 3Dfx (Glide v.2.42 supplied) Graphics support
• Soundblaster & 100% Compatible soundcards
• Quad-speed CD-ROM drive with MSCDEX 2.25 and above
• Original CarmageddonCD required.

In 1997 the best example of road rage hit the gaming world with avengeance. Now Max is back, and the inhabitants of the local town are againwearing brown trousers!

The Carmageddon Splat Pack adds more levels, more opponents and morefun to the originalCarmageddon– the racing car game with one rule – there are no rules!You can do what you want, where you want, and when you want, making this oneof those rare racing games where you can break free from the usual constraintsof a set course and go looking for power-up, or mowing down extra pedestriansto give you extra time!

The first game contained 36 set race courses split over a number of environments,and this new add-on contains 18 new courses split over 4 environments includingHELL! You can go visiting other parts of that environment which you wouldnormally only visit on the other set courses. In addition there are 15 newopponent vehicles, and more network levels including the ‘figure of 8’.

You can play the game normally though, going through the check-points andwinning the race, but you’ll soon notice that your opponents aren’t asinterested in doing this, and would sooner see you plummeting to your deathoff the top of a high building (again!) than crossing the finish line.Get your own back then, and find a nice long stretch of road, get a good runup, and head back in their direction to send them back to hell where theybelong.

Installing the Game

Installation is simple and can be done both in DOS and from within Windows 95.In either case you will be asked where your original Carmageddon installationis (eg. c:carma), and then where you want to install the Splat Pack(eg. c:carsplat). The installation program will then copy all the relevantfiles to your hard disk, after which you will be prompted to insert theoriginal Carmageddon disc for the final part of the installation.

If you’re stuck between choosing a medium or full installation, the full oneonly benefits you if you have a CD-ROM drive slower than quad-speed as the onlybonus you get out of it is to copy the FMV sequences onto the hard-drive.As most PC’s these days come equipped with quad-speed or better, a mediuminstallation should suffice.

Playing the Game

Since the Splat Pack doesn’t differ from the original in terms of its basicgameplay, for all such aspects please check the original review which isHERE

Extras

The original Carmageddon disc came complete with…the game itself. If youwanted the 3Dfx patch for enhanced graphics, or the blood patch to change thezombies back to humans waiting to be run over for fun, you had to go searchingon the internet. However, both those patches are available here as is anotherversion of the game which replaces humans and zombies with robots – a versionwhich was actually used in some parts of the world. The DirectX 5 drivers arealso included on this disc.

Graphics, Sound and Playability

The graphics and the interaction between the cars, pedestrians and sceneryis all first rate. Each of the cars is very detailed, mainly down to the factthat they’ve been rendered with polygons, as is the scenery, the only partswhich are sprites being some track accessories and the pedestrians. Also, thecollision-detection is spot-on.

The sounds in the game set the tone perfectly, but lose a point for beingnot a great deal more than you’d expect from a racing game. The sounds thatdo stand out are the grinding crunches between the cars which are great fun.If you have your PC connected up to a hifi or surround amplifier, make sure youhave the volume turned up as you plow into the opposition!

Playability is nothing short of excellent. The combination of keys can take alittle getting used to, but once you’ve worked out what goes where, or haveconfigured the keys to suit your own preference, you’re well on your way toventing your frustration on the bad guys. After this, it’s a case of practicemakes perfect, or try, try, try, try and try again…and again andteach the opposition a lesson they’ll never forget.

Overall

Overall, for me, Carmageddon was last year’s racing game of the year, and nowthe Splat Pack is the racing game of 1998 so far. There may be some people outthere who were hoping for an all-new Carmageddon experience. Well, perhaps oneday the PC gamers around the world may get their sequel, but until then youcan’t beat this bargain buy.

If you want a nice, sedate drive in the countryside then this isn’t foryou…but if you’d rather have a violent, road rage-filled drive THROUGH thecountryside’s ramblers, then you should buy this now. For those worried thatcows were always unfairlyon the receiving end in the original, the Splat Packredresses the balance…sheep get the splat treatment as well!

If you’re after some more Carmageddon excitement, you can check out theofficial SCI Website at www.sci.co.uk whichalso includes links to a stack of Carmageddon-related sites.GRAPHICS : *****SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC: ****PLAYABILITY: *****ORIGINALITY : ****ENJOYMENT : *****——————————-OVERALL : *****

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1998.