18-Wheeler: American Pro Trucker is a racing game in which players drive a tractor-trailer across the country.

The main purpose is to make it to the finish line within a given time. There are special vehicles that you can ram into that will add three seconds to your time. They look like purple Chevy Astro Vans.

Characters

• Asphalt Cowboy — He has the best all-around truck, and is perfect for beginners.

• Long Horn — His truck is the slowest of the group, but it's also the toughest, most durable vehicle.

• Stream Line — His truck is the weakest in the group, as it is prone to heavy damage.

• Highway Cat — She has the fastest truck, but also has poor acceleration.

In addition, there is a hidden fifth trucker, Nippon Maru. He can be unlocked by completing the cross-country journey with all four regular truckers.

Power-Ups & Lizard Tail

On your cross-country trek, you also have to compete with Lizard Tail, an arrogant trucker who will try to distract you by shouting various insults over his CB radio. If you beat Lizard Tail, you'll go to the bonus stage, in which you'll try to get the following Power-Ups:

• Stage 1 — Horn

To get this Power-Up, you have to take a sharp right turn into a green parking space. Start out moving forward, but don't go too fast, especially when going into the turn. Start braking as soon as the view pans up. If you position your truck into the green space (no part of the truck can go outside the designated green line), you win the horn. You'll need this to warn other drivers of your presence as traffic gets more congested in the later stages.

• Stage 2 — Muffler

This Bonus Stage is the same as Stage 1, but with two sharp turns this time, one to the left, and the other to the right. Maneuver carefully through these turns, and be prepared to brake when the green space comes up. The muffler will help you build up your speed even more.

• Stage 3 — Engine

You have to back in a straight line into the green space. Use extreme caution so your truck won't drift too far away from the green space. If you succeed into putting your truck inside the green space, you'll win the engine power-up. This will help you attain your top speed more quickly.

Trailers

• Stage 1 — Fuel Tanker
• Stage 2 — Car Transporter/Log Trailer
• Stage 3 — Container/Big Rig
• Stage 4 — Dump Trailer/Cable Car

Stages

• Stage 1, New York City to Key West — This is a cruise down Interstate 95. The course is straight most of the way, and has very few hills, if any. Near the end, there is a fork in the road that will take you down a beachfront street.

• Stage 2, St. Petersburg to Dallas — This course starts out on a lightly-traveled boulevard, and the first time you see Lizard Tail, he bursts through some buildings as he enters the boulevard. The boulevard turns into a slightly heavier-traveled highway. The first fork gives you a choice of going through a residential neighborhood to the left or taking a dirt road to the right. Near the end, there's a tornado that tosses vehicles all around. Dodge them if you can, and weave through them if you have to. The tornado dies down at the second fork.

• Stage 3, Dallas to Las Vegas — The journey continues through the Southwestern desert. Lizard Tail enters the course taking out cacti planted in the median of a rural highway. A dirt road forks off to the right, with rolling boulders hitting your truck. This is the most congested course, so you'll need plenty of "slip streams" to have a chance of beating your rival here.

• Stage 4, Las Vegas to San Francisco — The final segment of the trip starts out at dawn in Vegas. As soon as you enter the freeway, Lizard Tail bumps you from behind. At the fork in the road, there are three possible routes to take: into oncoming traffic to the left, going with the flow of traffic on the right, on onto an unfinished freeway bridge that's marked as a construction zone straight ahead. If you take the bridge, watch out for construction equipment. You'll also find a bonus van parked on the edge of the bridge. You then go through a tunnel, and at the end of the tunnel is San Francisco, where you race your rival down a hilly street. On the Golden Gate Bridge, you'll find two bonus vans headed towards the finish line.