Dukes Of Hazzard (The)

Description

Here's a very primitive first-person driving game that makes use of the Colecovision steering wheel controller. While ambitious as hell considering the system, Dukes of Hazzard is far too clunky in the control department to merit an average grade. The object is to elude Boss Hogg while chasing down a blue car driven by some lawbreaking redneck. You get a clear view of the road above your dashboard, and remarkably, there's even a working rear-view mirror! Unfortunately, the jumpy framerate and choppy scaling make it hard to steer with any degree of precision. You'll be swerving from side-to-side so much that avoiding head-on collisions requires more luck than anything else. It's such a struggle to remain centered on the road that the whole chase element becomes secondary. Graphical glitches don't help matters, including oncoming cars that appear to be approaching from the right, but then suddenly jump to the left. Regulating your speed using the H-shaped gearshift is also tricky. The scenery is fairly impressive, with occasional trees, streets signs, intersections, and even a few single-story buildings in the downtown area. But the highlight of the game is definitely bridge jumping, which can only be done if you're exceeding 75 MPH. I can appreciate what Coleco was trying to accomplish with Dukes of Hazzard, but the technology wasn't quite there yet. It's a playable game, but the problematic controls wear thin after one or two plays.