KIKSTART II

Developer: mr chip/shaun Southern GENRE: racing

This motocross game by Mr Chip and Shaun Southern was one of Mastertronic’s most successful titles. released in 1985, the first Kikstart received rave reviews, which was a rarity in the budget publisher’s early days. Yet it was this imaginatively titled sequel that not only improved upon its predecessor but also broke new ground in terms of value for money.

Inspired by the popular TV programme Kick Start, the subtly renamed game again follows the show’s motorbike and obstacle template as one or two players attempt to complete the course in the best time possible. Shaun teamed up with Andrew Morris to bring lucky Kikstart fans the follow-up, featuring improved graphics and the same entertaining gameplay, plus a few tweaks. For example, now the players have a handy speedometer so they can track the speeds required at tricky points, which proves very useful in smoothing over the acute difficult spikes in the original game. And as if the new courses and enhanced play wasn’t enough, the game famously includes an expansive course designer that allows players to, erm, design their own courses. While initially a little bewildering, once mastered this construction kit gives players the ability to create their own virtual tracks to challenge friends and the computer.

Wrapped up in a neat £1.99 package, Kikstart II represented ridiculous value and notched more favourable reviews, especially Zzap!64 magazine with an impressive 86% score. Mastertronic made up for the limited release of the original, converting Kikstart II not only to the Commodore 64’s 8-bit computer peers (and the 128k C64), but also the Amiga, albeit at the slightly-higher price of £9.95.