Grand National (video game)

Last updated
Grand National
Publisher(s) Elite Systems
Platform(s) ZX Spectrum, Amiga
Release1985: Spectrum
1989: Amiga
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player

Grand National is a 1985 video game for the ZX Spectrum from British publisher Elite Systems. It is based on the horse race of the same name. The goal is to win a race with your chosen horse at Aintree Racecourse while also having a bet on the outcome. An Amiga port was published in 1989.

Contents

Gameplay

Spectrum screenshot Grand National Spectrum.png
Spectrum screenshot

Players must adjust there speed and avoid hedges and other competitors. [1] Rapidly alternating between two keys makes the horse run. Another key jumps over fences.

Reception

Reviewing the ZX Spectrum version, Crash complimented the games graphics, thinking it a "vast improvement" over Elite Systems' previous release, The Dukes of Hazzard , but criticised the lack of each way bets and the unintuitive controls. [2] In their column "Joystick Jury" (formatted in the style of Juke Box Jury ), the editors of Your Spectrum generally thought the game would be a hit, complementing the graphics and betting mechanics, but with Ross Holman thinking the pace of the action inadequate. [3]

See also

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References

  1. Wilkins, Chris (2016). The Little Book of Sinclair ZX Spectrum Games. Fusion Retro Books. p. 14.
  2. 1 2 "Grand National". Crash . No. 16. May 1985. pp. 36–37.
  3. 1 2 Nicholls, Dave; Willis, Roger; Holman, Ross (June 1985). "Joystick Jury". Your Spectrum . No. 15. p. 51. Retrieved 17 May 2024.