Publisher: Ultimate Play the Game
Year of release: 1983
Authors: Tim and Chris Stamper
Ultimate Play the Game could do a thing or two with just 16K – JetPac, Cookie and Pssst to name a few and there’s Tranz Am. Tranz Am took Ultimate into another area of gaming – racing. Well, not racing exactly, more like driving around a barren wasteland trying not to crash into trees and other manic drivers. Now that’s a niche market of I ever saw one.
Set in post-apocalyptic USA, your mission as a Trans Am driver, is to explore each state and hopefully stumble across the eight cups of Ultimate to become… I don’t know actually, but wouldn’t it be some kind of achievement? Battling your way across the whole of the United States, pillaging said States of their already short supply of fuel for your own gain just to declare yourself champion of some made-up competition? It’s the year 3472 and the apocalypse has happened – what else is there to do?
Tranz Am is basic in looks but don’t let that put you off. When you hit the accelerator, you fly through the landscape which is a tonne of fun Well, until you run out of petrol of course, but there are plenty of fuel pumps lying about to top yourself up with; you just have to keep an eye out for the other drivers who are seemingly on a different mission to you. A mission of self-destruction. Why? Who knows, but adding them to the list of things to dodge only adds to the fun. If you’re looking for something that doesn’t require a lot of thinking but involves a lot speed, trees, cactuses, petrol and possibly previous BMW drivers – fire up Tranz Am, get comfortable and stamp on that accelerator! (Or press UP in this case.)
