Test Drive II, alternately labeled “The Duel”, is a racing game that was developed by Distinctive Software and released by Accolade. It was a popular second issue in a small franchise that saw time on multiple platforms, such as the Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System and a host of others. It was a late eighties release that was made for a single player only. It does a nice job of picking up where the original left off, offering the same general style of game play with some beefed up backgrounds and new cars.
Like the first Test Drive, the Duel focuses on driving exotic, high-speed sports cars through dangerous highways, littered with regular street traffic. Following the lead of the original, The Duel has the gamer running from the law and evading traffic on some wild and crazy courses. This version of the series offers some new improvements, aside from the fancier and better backgrounds and course. Now, the racer can compete against the clock, or race against another car, although it is still controlled by the computer’s artificial intelligence and does not support two player interaction.
The first part of The Duel is selecting a vehicle and a level of difficulty to match your skill and your mood. The selected level of difficulty
also determines if you will be manually shifting your car or if the computer will be selecting the appropriate gear for your needs. The car you select may be a Porsche 959 or a Ferrari F40. If you can download Accolades expansion, you can have a Lotus Turbo Espirit, a Ferrari Testerosa, a Lamborghini Countach, a Corvette ZR1 and a variety of classic 1960s American muscle cars. Cars have different capabilities, such as handling, top speeds, torque and so forth.
The game will begin with you and your computer opponent (or just you if you are racing alone) idling on a two or four lane highway. You have to reach the gas station at the end of the level in the least amount of time possible, requiring smooth handling, good acceleration, and evasive driving, since the roads are filled with regular drivers. The Duel is not like Pole Position and the car does not automatically stop once it reaches its destination. It is perfectly possible to blow right past the gas station, which results in a loss of a life as you run out of gas.
Overall, this is a pretty standard driving game with a very simplistic goal that presents a fun challenge. There isn’t anything to worry about in this one except for raw speed and fun.
