Microprose Grand Prix 2 (PC)

Formula One games are the nearly boys of computer racing. I have played quite a variety of them over the years and each one I played was a good game in itself, but never really captured the essence of F1. Power sliding open wheeled cars that survive touring car style bumps does not a realistic F1 game make. Unless you head back to 1995 that is. Back in 1995 Micropose released a Formula 1 game that captured the raw ingredients of the sport perfectly. That game was Geoff Crammonds Grand Prix 2 and is, in my opinion, the best attempt at an F1 sim out there. I'll start this review by looking at the original, unedited aspects of the game - it is ...  Read the complete review

This game is one of my favourites of all time. For a start, you've got a great arcade simulator in the "Quick Race". You can vary the length of the race, and you don't start too far back on the grid, but on the other hand, there's still a challenge in that there's cars to pass. Okay, it's getting on a bit, but a quick web search will find patches for everything from the paint jobs to the circuits. You can drive as Ayrton Senna round 1950s Rouen, or as Stirling Moss round a bang up to date A1 Ring - the choice is yours. What's more, even without the patches, the game is great straight out of the box. It's ...  Read the complete review

Formula One games vary greatly, but there are two main extremes. The arcade, power sliding racer, and the fully realistic simulation. If ever there was a game that took realism to the full, then Grand Prix 2 is that game. Of course, Grand Prix 3 is out now, and yes, it's better than Grand Prix 2. The thing is though, that Grand Prix 2 was around for so long, and thought of by so many as the best F1 game that it deserves a mention here. Even today it still plays a good game, and to be honest, bar obvious graphical improvements and the odd tweak here and there, is almost identical to Grand Prix 3. Grand Prix 2 is an immense game. Infact, it must ...  Read the complete review