Ruote Fumanti

Ruote Fumanti (smokin tyres) is a Commodore 64 game. A 24 KB program that runs on a stock PAL machine: a real C64, a flashcart, any emulator. No memory expansions.

Eight stages, flat out

The traffic does not move over for you: you overtake it, you shunt it off the road, or you land on top of it. The fords cannot be driven around, they have to be jumped, and you need ninety-five miles an hour to leave the ground. Some stages have rock ravines instead of water, and if you go in the car shrinks away as it falls. The winter stages have ice.

Seven seconds with the police

In the last stretch of every stage the traffic clears out and a police car comes up behind you. One against one, with the jump disabled. You hold your line, or you push it off the road, which is the thing that pays best in the whole game.

On the panel

Score, miles per hour, cars left, hits, time. How much of the course you have done, as a percentage. And a JUMP OK light, on when you are going fast enough to take off. The readouts are sprites, so they never wobble with the scrolling.