The Game: As the lone motorcyclist in a cross-country car race, you have to dodge your opponents at high speed, one two-ton vehicle at a time. You drive through city streets, highways, and through the rough desert, trying to reach your goal without running out of gas or getting splattered across the asphalt. (Williams Electronics [under license from IREM], 1983)
Memories: Whatever you called it, this was one of my favorite driving/racing games, combining the best elements of both maze games and scrolling obstacle course games, and handling things differently from the Pole Position and Turbo formula which dominated this particular genre at the time.
And like Fantasy and Moon Patrol, there was a nifty option to drop another quarter into the slot and keep going from your last position (though losing your score in the process) – always a favorite feature of mine in those games where there’s an actual goal. Motorace USA originated in Japan as Zippy Race.
