Test Drive is the name of one of the longest running and most popular racing game franchises ever. Originally published by Accolade, which was bought by Infogrames, the first title saw the light of day in 1987 and has since been followed by a constant stream of sequels. The Test Drive games are now published by Atari.

Overview

In Test Drive, the player typically gets into some hot wheels and must race to the finish line while avoiding traffic and the police.

Test Drive was originally released on the IBM PC and was later ported to a host of different platforms.

The games

Test Drive

Test Drive (1987)

Test Drive was the first real racing game for DOS. Released in 1987 by Accolade, it is the original that created the sub-genre of racing hot cars while outrunning the police, a concept successfully copied by newer franchises such as Need For Speed. It was released in 1987 for DOS, the Atari ST and Commodore 64. It was released in 1988 for the Apple II and Amiga.

In this first version of the game, the player is given the choice of a variety of different souped-up sports cars. The player then must race up a narrow mountain highway, avoiding the oncoming traffic, police and the guardrail-free cliff. If the player successfully makes it to the top within the time limit, they are given the (virtual) car for free to keep.

Test Drive II: the Duel

The sequel to Test Drive and probably the most popular in the franchise. This time around the player doesn't just run away from the police and try to reach the finish line as fast as possible, they must also beat an opponent to the finish line.

Due to its popularity, there were a host of add-on disks released for Test Drive II:

• Test Drive II: the Duel Add-on Scenery Disk: California Challenge
• Test Drive II: the Duel Add-on Scenery Disk: European Challenge
• Test Drive II: the Duel Add-on Car Disk: the Supercars
• Test Drive II: the Duel Add-on Car Disk: the Musclecars
• Test Drive II: the Duel: the Collection

Test Drive III: the Passion

A less-than-successful attempt to create a true 3D racing game, in which frustrating and difficult controls made sure the player drove off more than on the road. However, due to its difficulty, this game can be considered to be rather fun, but quite hectic to play.

Only one add-on disk was released:

• Test Drive III: the Passion Add-on Disk #1: Road & Car

Test Drive 4

The re-launch of the franchise came with Test Drive 4. In essence, it was the same game with new graphics and improved gameplay.

Test Drive 5

Hot on the heels of the success of Test Drive 4 came Test Drive 5. It was very similar to its predecessor but much more polished.

Test Drive 6

A speedy release to capitalize on the Test Drive name.

Test Drive (2002)

This release kicked off the Test Drive series' life on next-generation consoles. It differed from its predecessors in that featured a storyline.

Test Drive: Eve of Destruction

The latest installment, Eve of Destruction is remniscent of the old Demolition Derby games.

Test Drive Off-Road

A spin-off from the original franchise. Three installments have been released thus far:

• Test Drive Off-Road
• Test Drive Off-Road 2
• Test Drive Wide Open

External links

• MobyGames' entry on the series & add-ons
• Test Drive category at the Open Directory Project (DMOZ.ORG)