Power Racer

Game Boy · 1990 · EU

Also known as: Head On (JP)

Publisher: Tecmo · Developer: Graphic Research · Genre: Racing

Power Racer is a conversion of the arcade game Head On that includes an extra special mode. The normal mode is a faithful recreation of the original: the playing field consists of a square race track with four lanes. Between the corners the lanes are partly interrupted so the lane can be changed. This is needed because on the uninterrupted parts there are dots which all have to be picked up to progress to the next level. There is also another (on higher levels two) car on the track which tries to crash into the player - of course this needs to be avoided. This mode features ten difficulty levels. The special mode adds a few things to the basic playing principle. In this mode there are three difficulty levels and nine tracks which all add variations to the playing field, e.g. a different lane layout, oil slicks which cause the car to spin when driving over it or conveyor belts. There are also a few power ups which randomly appear on the track and need to be picked up within a limited time frame. Most of them are not activated instantly and can be used at a opportune time. The power ups are a bomb (causes a near enemy to spin), a level skip, an extra live, a shield, an enemy slow down and one which causes all cars to make a u-turn. This mode can be played by two human players.