''Test Drive'' is a
racing video game developed by
Distinctive Software and published by
Accolade, released in 1987 for the
Amiga
Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...
,
Atari ST,
Commodore 64, and
DOS, in 1988 for the
Apple II
The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mold ...
, and later ported for the
PC-98 in 1989. It is the first game in the
''Test Drive'' video game series.
Gameplay
The player chooses one of five supercars (
Lamborghini Countach,
Lotus Esprit Turbo,
Chevrolet Corvette C4,
Porsche 911 Turbo (930), or
Ferrari Testarossa) to drive on a winding cliffside two-lane road while avoiding traffic and outrunning police speed traps. The course's five stages are separated by gas station pit stops.
Release
In 1987, Accolade published ''Test Drive'' as a computer game worldwide, and Electronic Arts imported it to the United Kingdom. The quality of the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and DOS ports differ from each other.
The Amiga version's detailed visuals and audio realistically depicted the game's racing theme,
while its Atari ST counterpart used simplified graphics and sound effects. The Commodore 64 and DOS ports were of similar quality to the Amiga version. The gameplay was kept intact for all platforms.
Reception and legacy
''Test Drive'' was a commercial hit. In late 1989, ''
Video Games & Computer Entertainment'' reported that the game's sales had surpassed 400,000 units and were well on their way to the half-million mark.
It received generally positive reviews from video game critics. ''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...
'' stated in 1987 that ''Test Drive'' "offers outstanding graphics and the potential to 'hook' every ''
Pole Position'' fan".
''
Compute!'' praised the excellent graphics and sound, but noted that the game only had one course.
The game was reviewed in 1988 in ''
Dragon'' #132 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars.
David M. Wilson reviewed the game for ''
Computer Gaming World
''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...
'', and stated that "there may be more competitive racing games on the market, but this game combines the enjoyment of driving five of the most exotic sportscars in the world with outrunning "Smokies" on mountain highways. What more could a race car junkie (or arcade fan) ask for?!"
''Test Drive'' spawned several sequels and spin-offs. Distinctive Software developed its 1989 sequel, ''
The Duel: Test Drive II'', using several
software libraries
In computer science, a library is a collection of non-volatile resources used by computer programs, often for software development. These may include configuration data, documentation, help data, message templates, pre-written code and subro ...
. Distinctive (as Unlimited Software, Inc.) used the aforementioned software libraries for a
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few oper ...
port of ''
Outrun'', resulting in the ''Accolade v. Distinctive'' lawsuit. Distinctive Software won, so the rights to make the ''Test Drive'' games without the source code transferred to Accolade. The court also found that Accolade had failed to demonstrate that the balance of hardships was in its favor. Another sequel, ''
Test Drive III: The Passion'', was developed and published by Accolade in 1990.
In 1997, Accolade distributed ''
Test Drive: Off-Road'', an off-road truck racing spinoff, and ''
Test Drive 4
''Test Drive 4'' is a racing video game developed by Pitbull Syndicate and published by Accolade for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1997. It offers 14 supercars and muscle cars, and tasks the player with beating computer opponents in tracks ...
'', the first video game developed by
Pitbull Syndicate. In 1998, Pitbull Syndicate developed two further ''Test Drive'' titles, ''
Test Drive 4X4
''Test Drive 4X4'' (known as ''Test Drive Off-Road 2'' in North America) is a racing video game co-developed by Accolade's internal development team and Pitbull Syndicate, and published by Accolade for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.
Develo ...
'' (also known as ''Test Drive Off-Road 2''), a sequel to the ''Test Drive: Off-Road'' spinoff, and ''
Test Drive 5''; both games were the two last entries in the series to be published by Accolade. In April 1999, Accolade was acquired by French video game company
Infogrames Entertainment for a combined sum of , of which in cash and in
growth capital, and was renamed Infogrames North America, Inc. The company
chief executive officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
, Jim Barnett, was named head of Infogrames Entertainment's American distribution subsidiary. As a result, ''
Test Drive 6
''Test Drive 6'' is a racing video game developed by Pitbull Syndicate for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Dreamcast. In the United States the game was published by Infogrames North America, while in Europe the game was published by Cryo Inte ...
'' was the first game in the series to be published by
Infogrames in 1999. ''
TD Overdrive: The Brotherhood of Speed'' (also known as ''Test Drive'') was the last entry in the series to be developed by Pitbull Syndicate,
and as a result, the next game in the series, ''
Test Drive: Eve of Destruction'', was developed by
Monster Games in 2003.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1987 video games
Accolade (company) games
Amiga games
Apple II games
Atari ST games
Commodore 64 games
DOS games
NEC PC-9801 games
1
Video games developed in Canada
Distinctive Software games
Single-player video games
Electronic Arts games
Pony Canyon games