''Full Throttle'' is a video game released in 1984 for the
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...
and written by Mervyn Estcourt, creator of ''
Deathchase''. The player races a 500cc Grand Prix motorcycle on any of ten of the world's top racing circuits. It was ported to other platforms and released under the name ''Speed King''.
Gameplay
After selecting a track to race on, the player starts at the back of the grid, with 39 other bikes. Cornering too quickly will cause a skid, while running off the road slow the bike down, and making contact with another rider forces the bike to a halt, allowing the following riders to stream past the player as the bike gets going again. There are ten circuits in the game, and part of the key to winning is to know the circuit well enough to predict the bends. There is a practice mode, in which the player rides round the track without any other riders, or the player can choose a race of between one and five laps. The best position achieved is shown at the bottom of the menu-screen, along with the player's time ahead of the second-place man. As soon as the track or number of laps is changed, this record is reset.
Release
Following the release of ''Full Throttle'' on the ZX Spectrum, Micromega declined Estcourt's Commodore 64 conversion due to their inexperience in the Commodore market and the rising costs in the industry. Instead, Digital Integration published the Commodore port in 1985 under the name ''Speed King''.
In 1986 the game was re-released at budget price. ''Full Throttle'' was published for the Spectrum by
Elite Systems
Elite Systems is a British video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. It is known for producing home computer conversions of popular arcade games. Elite also published compilations of games on the Hit-Pak ...
on their £2.99 Classics label,
while
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were launched on April 2, 1984. At its peak the label was one of the largest software publishers in the UK, achieved ...
published ''Speed King'' for the Commodore 64 and ported the game to the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16 and MSX.
Reception
Reviews were positive, with ''
CRASH'' giving it 91% (a CRASH Smash),
''
Your Spectrum
''Your Sinclair'', originally ''Your Spectrum'' or ''YS'', is a discontinued British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was commercially published between 1984 and 1993.
History
The magazine was la ...
'' rating it at 4/5,
and both
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...
and
Sinclair User
The ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...
rating it at 8/10.
''Full Throttle'' reached the top of the RAM/C charts for the week ending August 8 1984 replacing
Psion's ''Match Point''
and sold around 90,000 copies worldwide.
In total, Mastertronic's releases of ''Speed King'' sold 304,000 copies making it one of their best selling titles.
Legacy
Despite the game not being released for the ZX Spectrum as ''Speed King'', Mastertronic released a Spectrum-exclusive sequel to the game called ''Speed King 2'' in late 1986.
The game, which added a split-screen two-player mode, was programmed by Derek Brewster who had also been a Micromega freelancer creating games including ''
Codename MAT'' and ''Haunted Hedges''.
In 1991,
Zeppelin Games, published another sequel to the game as ''Full Throttle 2''.
References
External links
* {{WoS game, id=0001908, name=Full Throttle
1984 video games
Amstrad CPC games
Commodore 64 games
MSX games
Racing video games
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
ZX Spectrum games
Crash Smash! award winners