Geoff Crammond's Grand Prix PC games series - Part 1

From being an F1 fan, and loving video games, naturally I became a racing sim enthusiast. I had a SNES and enjoyed 'Exhaust Heat' and 'Pole Position'. I enjoyed Exhaust Heat because you could earn money and buy new parts and customise your car, but the tracks were quite poor. Pole Position had nice graphics, but I never really liked the steering input.

 

But it was the humble BBC computer that I inherited with a game called Revs on that I really enjoyed. Little did I know this was Geoff Crammond's first racing sim game.

It was an old game on an basic machine, but I loved that it wasn't an arcade game, but attempted to give you a better driving sensation. I never really got particularly good at the game, but I appreciated I needed to learn the skill to keep the car on the track and not spin every corner. My memories of this game are patchy, but what I do remember is spending lots of time on this game when I had the chance. 

When I finally got a PC to replace the BBC machine, it was time for a new game. My friend had Grand Prix 2 (I had no idea it was by the same Geoff Crammond at the time), and I loved it. I had all the same respect that I had for Revs, but it was based on the season I got into F1, 1994. But when my mum came back from the shops, I received the original Grand Prix. I was a little disappointed, but I endeavored to enjoy the game whilst trying to save up for GP2.

In the end I was glad to have owned and played the original Grand Prix game. I learnt how to drive, I learnt the tracks, and I learned a bit about the 1991 F1 season, but all the time, my heart was set on getting myself a copy of GP2.

Continue to part 2