Lotus Challenge Review

Anannya Sen’s Review

A lotus driving game based on an old computer game which hasn??t translated perfectly to phones. The graphics are pretty basic and the sound is average as well. In-game the sound fairly poor. The controls are quite tricky and the car itself feels unresponsive. However, the game is quite challenging and you have to try and unlock cars and courses. An average driving game out there, but the lack of choice makes it potentially worth downloading.

Once again an old computer game is translated for the mobile phone market. A pretty decent driving sim called Lotus Elan challenge came out way back in the early 90??s and most gamers were fairly impressed. There were multiple courses and cars to get. The phone version emulates this well, but the controls and playability have been lost.

Firstly, the graphics are pretty basic. The backgrounds bears a nice resemblance to the three cities you can race in (New York, Tokyo and Paris - where??s good old London town!!) but the cars and tracks themselves are very basic graphically. Okay, they look like the Lotuses they??re supposed to when you choose them, but the back and side views of the car doesn??t give you any kind of thrill.

The sound is just as basic as the graphics are. With a slightly annoying intro tune, the only sound options you have in-game are the sound of the engine and also when you bump / overtake the other cars in the game. There??s also a vibra option when you go off the track (which on later levels, you will a lot, believe me).

The playability of the game is also not that great, but there are tracks and cars to unlock. There are 10 tracks in the game and when you win one, you unlock another track. Also, when you win 3 races you get the next car and after 6 races you get the final car. This challenge is the only real plus point to the game and as the courses are quite difficult at times, it gives the game a bit of longevity. Also, as the courses get more difficult, you have to try and remember the turns in order to stop the car going off the track, and with no map on screen, it means that you could be playing the game for a while. One plus point is that the menu is quite decent and you have the option to pause the game at any point and continue later (separate to the resume feature of the GX20 itself).

The controls are my biggest gripe when it comes to Lotus Challenge. As usual, there are the standard keypad controls and also the directional pad controls. The only thing is that the car is either unresponsive or overly responsive and the wheels can lock and you may find yourself skidding off the track if you turn too hard. Now, you may say that I??m just a bad driver but having fully clocked GT1 and 2 I know my driving games pretty well. I couldn??t find a decent combination of controls to use which felt comfortable and responsive.

The game has a fairly fast loading time even for its 82.5K, so it means that it??s not bad for a train journey or quick break from work.

This game could have been great. The graphics could have been amazing and the sounds could have been inspiring. The controls could have been really easy to use and the car could have been easier to control. However it??s not any of these things and is just an average driving sim with a tricky control system. The unlocking of the cars and tracks gives it some longevity but it??s only worth downloading if you like completing games where you unlock stuff or you are really really into Lotuses.