Power Drift

More Speed, Less CPU Strain

This is an arcade racer I’ve always loathed. I remember playing the ST conversion and instantly taking a dislike to it. Looking back, I reckon it was probably because the game was too ambitious for a 512KB 16-bit computer. I wouldn’t have thought that at the time, of course, but that’s how I translate my old memories.

Now, don’t take this for a review - it’s more of an excuse to add another game to my STe Enhanced section. Yes, AtariCrypt actually has a section dedicated to enhanced games! Bet you didn’t even know that, did you? Well, take a look to the right of any page and you shall see a link to this list (WIP - loads more to come).

Wait… what? Power Drift is STe enhanced? Well, yes and no. It makes use of the Blitter, which is something within every Atari STe. The standard ST is supported - if you were lucky enough to have one installed - like the Mega ST (I also believe late-model STfms had an empty socket waiting to be filled?). Okay, considering the game was released in 1989, I would have been using my older 520 STfm (without a Blitter). That would certainly explain my long-standing grudge against this racer, which I never bothered loading up again - until now!

Fast forward way too many years, and I’m lucky enough to own both machines (though Hatari’s a decent option). So, booting it up on an ST without a Blitter, and the framerate is awful. Fire it up on an STe, and it’s a different story. The Blitter kicks in - probably handling the sprites - and the framerate feels much better. That might sound dramatic to some of the ST Nutters out there, but trust me, it makes all the difference.

If I'm honest, I only ever expected a small improvement. Something hardly noticeable because I still expected to be unimpressed by a rubbish port. Turns out, I was completely wrong! Power Drift is actually a blast, and I can’t believe I’ve spent decades ignoring it. Sure, it's not the best racer we have because it's far too ambitious for any 16-bit computer. But if you use an Atari STe, download this game and give it a whirl.

It's weird how such an old game surprised me like this. Power Drift isn't a serious racer; rather one to take lightly, but it's fun. Highly recommended and I'm confident to rate at 75% (40% without Blitter).

• Atari Legend has the best disk - Dodgysoft #75 https://www.atarilegend.com/games/power-drift
• 8BitChip has a version for hard drive https://atari.8bitchip.info/SCRSH/powerdrf.html
• If you’re too lazy to glance right for more enhanced games, just hit this link right now https://ataricrypt.blogspot.com/enhanced-games.html

Master those corners, and you have a cracking racer. Well, on an Atari STe!!