Nigel Mansell’s Grand Prix

Nigel Mansell’s first licensed computer game recreates all 16 Formula 1 circuits of the time, viewed from behind the car but with a full cockpit-type view below. This is important because the game is very much a simulation rather than an action game.

Before each race you have to do three qualifying laps, and only make the grid if you are fast enough to meet the pre-defined qualifying limit. The races can be between 5 and 20 laps, or at full length if you prefer – fortunately a half-finished season can be saved to cassette or disk.

F1 cars of this era have turbo boosts, and this is available in the game to provide a quick blast of extra speed, which is useful for overtaking but can cause the turbo or the engine itself to be overstressed, as well as using fuel more quickly (pitstops are for tires but not fuel, again in keeping with the era’s real Formula 1 rules).