Grand Prix

Grand Prix for the Atari 2600

Grand Prix is a single player racing game released by Activision, Inc. for the Atari 2600 in 1982. The goal of the game is to drive to the finish line in the shorteset time possible. Four different race tracks are included, each with varying difficulty and different amounts of obstacles.

The game uses an overhead view of the racetrack with the screen scrolling horizontally. Using the joystick players can control their racecar which moves up and down on the screen and can speed up or break. Throughout the track numerous other cars appear and need to be avoided; crashes in the game aren't fatal, but will slow down the player costing valuable time. Oil slicks will appear in the roadway as well; driving over an oil slick will temporarily cause the player to lose control of the car which may lead to a crash if other cars happen to be nearby. Depending on the racetrack selected, there may also be bridges (the easiest track as no bridges with the others having either one, two, or three bridgges). When a bridge appears players need to be sure to drive over the roadway in the middle of the screen; if the racecar misses the bridge, it will come to a complete stop costing even more time than a crash would. Once players reach the end of the racetrack, the game ends with the time it took displayed.