Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego Online Game

[midi music plays] [typing] sometimes, a guy just wants to engagein some good old vehicular combat. i know, i know. there are plenty of nice currentgames that let you do this,

Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego Online Game, from twisted metal to gas guzzlers. but what if you're a dos geek like me and want to use a car toshoot the crap out of other cars? may i present to you deathtrack,

developed by dynamix andpublished by activision in 1989. i own deathtrack as part of this activisionpowerhits sci-fi compilation pack from 1994. i don't have an original boxed copy because i've actually never once seen one for sale anywhere. i mean, this version is cool and all, and it at least has the documentation crammed into this deliciously beefy manual, but i'd love to have the original box with its awesome artwork andvintage cardboard boxiness.

as you might guess, deathtrackis an arcade combat racing game that uses a similar game engineto other dynamix titles of the time, like mechwarrior and abrams battle tank. mmm, yes, wonderful primitive 3d with filled polygons that you can count! i love you, simplistic 3d. i'd hug you but your edgeslook sharp enough to cut, and i'm fond of keepingmy blood inside my body. no hugs for you.

deathtrack starts with some artwork and logos, as well as an ambiguously ominousand constantly looping midi tune. deathtrack wants you! apparently. so, let deathtrack know that you want it back, so badly, by signing into the game and...going for it. you're then given the choice ofthree different cars to start out with, loosely based on real-life sports cars.

the speedy hellcat, the powerfully-weaponized crusher, and the heavily-armored pitbull. essentially, you're choosing yourbeginning power-ups for your car, although you can upgrade thesestats later on if you get the cash. from the main menu, youinteract with a menu, mainly, race different races,shop for parts and weapons, check the scores and opponents stats, change some difficulty and sound options,

and even quit the game if youneed to get back to real life. but you don't, so i'd recommend checkingout the opponents stats. these are mostly your typicallate-'80s, early-'90s-style opponents with cheesy mugshots and cocky attitudes. it's not only amusing,but it's worth checking out what each vehicle looks likebecause it'll become important to quickly be able torecognize them during races. and definitely check out the difficulty, too,

as you can not only change the lap amount but the game can be pretty brutal, and starting out onwarrior or mega destroyer will only cause unnecessaryanxiety and depression and possibly plantar warts. those things are a pain to get rid of. the next step is to do some shopping. even though the future is grim and violent, you're still given $10,000 out of nowhere,

automatically, to spend however you wish. isn't that nice of the post-apocalypse? you'll be able to upgradecar parts like engines, brakes, transmissions, tires,airfoils and armor. i'd personally go with engine,tire and armor upgrades early on, especially if you feel like winning. winning is nice. and in the weapons shop, youcan choose from machine guns, missiles, lasers, particle beams, mines,

caltrops, wheel spikes, ram spikes, and a bomb on wheels called a terminator. i almost always go withmaxed-out ram spikes first because they're extremely overpowered [chuckles]and kind of like cheating. and some extra terminators, mines and missiles are always good if you can afford them. but make sure to save alittle cash after this, if you can, because chances are you'regoing to need it pretty soon.

now one can just race a single race on a single track of your choosing, singly,to get a feel for the game. but you'll probably be finewith jumping right into the career full circuit run. in this, you're given a random track to race from a selection of ten tracks located in one of ten cities. probably a good idea tosave your game here, too,

just in case things go really badly. the race loads up and you can either waitfor the light to turn green or just launch early andsmash stuff up instantly, putting those fancy newram spikes to good use. it's pretty easy to get a kill ortwo right off the bat doing this, which is kind of ridiculous,but hey, it sure is fun. otherwise, you'll have towait a little ways into the lap before anyone's other weapons are useable.

once the pack passes this point, all hell breaks loose. lasers will fly. missiles will launch. terminators will ram you from behind, and it's every goofy-looking, big-haired man and/or woman for themselves. though oddly, even with all this carnage, you only get some chintzypc speaker noise for weapons, and some obnoxious music.

you don't even get any engine noise, which is kind of disconcerting. maybe these are hybrids. th-they're not, though. oh, well. the controlsare pretty straightforward. you just move...straight forward, choose a weapon and shootcrap when the chance arises. seriously, there isn't evenmuch driving involved here. it honestly doesn't evenfeel like you're driving a car.

it's more like you're on a roller coaster with the possibility ofslight deviations left and right. it's possible to run off the roadif you're going stupidly fast, but most of the timeyou're just steering a little bit here and there to get abetter aim on your target. there's even an autopilot option, which isn't as fast as normal, but it's good enough for a short break. the opponent intelligenceis also kind of dumb,

so it's not really a big deal tomaneuver around these guys, especially if you have adecent engine and tire setup. it's also important to keep an eyeon the damage meter in the top-left, 'cause dodging things like missilesand mines can be quite the hassle, and it doesn't take much to die. you die and you're out of the race with a blown-up car and no cash awarded. and this is probably the biggestproblem i have with the game because it's quite easyto end up with no money

and no way to repair your car. it's a catch-22: you needmoney for weapons and repairs, but you need weapons and repairsto stand a chance of getting money. this is why it's importantthat you save before each race because you may end up screwed. still, there are opportunities towin money besides winning a race or being the last man standing. captain shady mcdubioushere will often approach you, offering a cash reward if you destroya certain opponent during that race.

a great way to earn anextra chunk of change, even if you place last in the race. and lastly, there are a couple of otherthings to worry about during races, especially the longer oneswith higher lap counts. the first is fuel, shown atthe top of your dashboard. you'll start with a fair amount each race, and it will refill on its ownafter a race is finished, but during a race, you may run out. so you'll need to make a pit stop,

indicated by a yellow x on the track map. just pull over into pit lane and you'll be able torefuel, repair and reload, provided you have money, at least, which is a good reason why it'simportant to leave some before a race. and that's deathtrack. it's a pretty freakin'fantastic game, if you ask me, especially for 1989 on ms-dos. it's got awesome filled polygonal graphics,

an enjoyable upgrade system, a variety of tracks and opponents, and some brutal destruction. yes, the gameplay and music is repetitive, the dinky pc speaker sound effects suck, the opponent ai is a bit lacking, and the potential to totally screw yourself by being awful at the game is arguably too easy to do.

but the game has an undeniablecharm about it that i just love. it's a shame deathtrack is sofreakin' hard to find nowadays, but, still, if you do runacross a copy somehow, i'd say it's totally worth it. it's actually one of myfavorites from dynamix, and that's saying a lot.