IHRA Drag Racing

"Good Game, Great Price, High Redundancy"

For a game which retails for only $9.99 new (in the States), this is a damn good game :-) On the other hand, it can get rather repetitive - after all, races are only five to ten seconds in length, and it sometimes takes longer to load a new screen than it does to complete a race.

On the other hand, IHRA Drag Racing features nearly thirty cars in six car classes, along with both Quick Race mode and career mode (comprised of all other race modes). There are numerous parts which can be purchased to modify cars for optimum performance. The CPU-controlled vehicles can and sometimes do make mistakes, which can include ramming the rear of the player's car!!!!!

For those who have poor hand-eye coordination, this is probably not a good game to play, as a pristine launch when the lights on the 'Christmas Tree' turn green is imperative for the lowest possible race times; poor hand-eye coordination will simply result in A LOT of frustration. Also, getting started can be quite slow (even slower than getting started in the Gran Turismo series), but once a good second car has been purchased, things should progress relatively quickly in a player's career.

IHRA Drag Racing unfortunately only features six tracks - five in the United States and one in Canada - but the number of racing classes and cars in total are is impressive. The rules are rather simple: Do not jump the start, do not touch the barriers on the outside of each track, and do not cross the center line. However, this can be trickier than simply pressing the accelerator at the appropriate time, as changes in car parts (upgrades and downgrades) can change a car's handling greatly. Also, the CPU-controlled opposition can and does sometimes make a mistake, so even if a player is outclassed (which often happens in Quick Race mode, where the cars used are selected at random by the CPU), it is important to keep powering forward and be ready to effectively ''pounce'' in the event of an opponent's mistake. Similarly, even if the player is in the lead, the opponent may make a mistake and cross the center line, ramming the player's car from behind. In short, one must always be vigilant.

Unfortunately, I have yet to see this game offered for rent. It is definitely worth at least a rental, although only true diehard drag racing fanatics will likely want to keep playing this game constantly. At least the $9.99 price is really quite low - although I have actually seen it on eBay with a starting price as high as $20... and actual bids even higher than that. Instead, it is better to spend about $5 to rent it first, THEN decide if it is worth buying.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 09/06/02, Updated 09/06/02