Hillclimb

Hillclimb now includes 10 new hills + 2 practice hills.

In its basic form hillclimbing is about the only motor car sport that is, or was, available competitor-wise to the average man in the street. And unlike most motor sport it is not just about pure speed. Yes, you go up the hill as quickly as possible but it's really all about smoothness and control, and the game tries to demonstrate that by forcing you to consider Control or face the consequences. Hillclimb puts you in a car of your choice (eight to choose from, with six different Classes) at the start of a new Brooklands Trophy Championship season. You are pitched in at international level with ten different hills waiting to challenge you and your 29 rivals. While your rivals' times are quickly assessed, for your own runs you have to tackle each of the ten Sections that make up a hill by selecting when and how to change gear, accelerate, and brake, using a Car Control Card which cross-references gear and revs to produce a speed in miles per hour for the Section.

Sections have varying Safe Speeds which you exceed at your peril, and these Safe Speeds can be reduced if you begin to lose control of the car. In a sport where success or failure is often measured to the second decimal point of a second you need to get as close to the Safe Speed as possible for each Section. Obviously each car has a different pattern of gear to revs relationship, simulating different gearing and power, and the hills themselves all need to be tackled in a different way whichever car you are driving.

A run up the hill, an ascent, will take you about 5 minutes in real time, so a complete event takes no more than 80-90 minutes. A pocket calculator is recommended but not absolutely necessary. So don't avoid the game for that reason! The game provides for switching cars mid-season but you lose the advantage of all the experience you have gained with your old car which is translated into Skill Bonus Points - very useful. It also provides for second and subsequent seasons, with additional opponents etc.

Like any solo game it is difficult to win Hillclimb , which means winning the Brooklands Trophy, or at the very least winning your own Class. But the game can of course be played as a multi-player game either against the other drivers controlled by the system or, with enough players, against each other. And there is a real potential for (e)mail games with each Turn taking care of just one Section of a hill, or possibly two or more hills being tackled at the same time.