coin-op conversions

How the home versions lined up against one another

commodore 64 1989

Coder Chris Butler showcased his skills with this wonderful conversion that’s a real technical marvel. Visually, it’s quite basic but it moves at a good clip and plays really well. Easily the best home computer version available.

atari st 1989

Oh boy. Coding enigma ZZKJ did a grand job bringing Super Hang-on to the 16-bit computers, but Power Drift was obviously a step too far. The graphics are great but the framerate is really poor and the end result is nigh-on unplayable.

zx spectrum 1989

The version for the Speccy plays well. The speed is fine, although the controls are sluggish, leading to frustration at times. Visually, it’s a bit of a monochrome mess, but overall you can (just about) tell what game it’s trying to be.

amiga 1989

Almost identical to the sorry ST version. Although the framerate is improved, your kart still stutters in almost slideshow-like fashion. The only other addition is in-game music: the ST version had to make do with just sound effects.

sega saturn 1998

Released in Japan as part of the original Sega Ages series, this is a close conversion of the coin-op (and yes it tilts!). It runs at 30fps rather than the original’s 60fps, but this hardly detracts, and it introduces a nice bunch of extras.

amstrad cpc 1989

A nice surprise for anyone expecting a quick Speccy port. It’s sharing the same code but it benefits from a good splash of colour. Thankfully this hasn’t scarified the speed too much, although the graphics are a little blocky in places.

Pc/dos 1989

An interesting attempt, in that like the C64 version, it doesn’t try to replicate the look of the original too closely and instead opts to create a fast and fun racing game. It’s a damn sight more enjoyable that the Amiga and ST versions.

dreamcast 2001

Yet another Japanese-only release, included as part of the Yu Suzuki Game Works compilation. This is essentially the arcade version, as-is, running at 60fps and all the jazz. The icing on the cake – it plays well using the DC’S analog stick.

msx 1989

No surprise for anyone expecting a quick Speccy port, as that’s exactly what you’ve got here. It more or less retains the speed, so we can’t complain too much, although we all know that the MSX could do more.

Pc engine 1990

Arriving after the buzz of the coin-op had died down, and in Japan only, the PC Engine version is largely overlooked – but it shouldn’t be as it manages to copy the look and feel of the arcade game to a decent degree.

nintendo 3ds 2015

The 3D Sega Classics series for 3DS delivers once again with this delightful remaster. As you’d expect it comes packed with options and extras, and Power Drift never looked better then when played in 3D, three inches from your face.