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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Good and Bad (05/07/09)
This simulated driving game is the most extreme test of skill and nerve of any arcade game you have ever played. It will have you swerving and gasping as you maneuver your vehicle through insane traffic where rules are only applied if there is a traffic cop watching. Reminiscent of the old “Frogger” game (my favorite), this modern motorized madness has many good features.

African City Traffic Gauntlet is aptly named. At the end of each level, you will truly feel as if you have run a gauntlet and will most likely need to take a break before moving on to the next level! Pedestrians dart across highways, buses stop suddenly to pick up passengers, ambulances careen recklessly in and out of traffic with sirens blaring. The graphics are fantastic so do not be fooled by the grainy look. The entire game is set in a desert city which experiences sandstorms that inhibit visibility. The skilled programmers of this game have thought of everything to accurately simulate a dangerous drive through the streets of Africa! From dust-devils flying across the road to fender benders on the periphery that tempt your eyes to wander from the road like a typical rubber-necker, this game is sure to challenge even the most adept drivers.

The goal of the game is simple: get from point “A” to point “B” without losing your way, damaging your car, or getting pulled over by traffic cops. Each level presents new challenges. The night time level, for example, makes visibility difficult as there are no street lights and the pedestrians do not wear reflective gear. Many motorcycles and some of the other cars are not driving with lights on and they suddenly appear in front of you without warning. In the daytime levels, be careful for the donkey carts. They are as unpredictable as the donkeys that pull them. Sometimes they run stubbornly in front of oncoming traffic while their owner is desperately trying to stop them. There are things to be careful for in all levels of the game. Traffic lights do not always work and even when they do, not everyone obeys them, so be careful when going through intersections. Right-of-way is basically whoever drives the biggest vehicle, so be watching the cars and trucks around you. Remember, not everyone who drives a motorcycle, knows how to balance on one. Keep an eye on them. Most traffic signs are clearly visible, but are obeyed by about half of the traffic, so do not calculate your driving based on the fact that others will obey the signs. However, you must obey the signs or you will most likely be stopped by a traffic cop. If you are stopped, you will need to try to decipher what he is saying (they don’t speak English) and will probably have to pay a traffic ticket, which will deplete your energy and you will loose points.

Other things that can deplete your energy are: cutting someone else off and making them mad, (You will know this happened when they shake their fist at you. Be careful, sometimes they will chase you.), sitting in a traffic jam caused by an accident up ahead (this will deplete your energy as well as your time points on the game), getting in the way of an ambulance and finally, passing a traffic cop who is waving you down. You can replenish your energy by stopping at an intersection and buying something from a vendor. Be careful, however, if the other vendors see you. You will be accosted by a group of them and if you don’t buy from all of them they will shake their fists at you and you will loose more energy points. The African City Traffic Gauntlet is an incredible maze of realistic driving nightmares. I only have one bad thing to say about this game: it is not an arcade game, it is my reality every day when I drive my kids to school!
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Seema Bagai
05/16/09
Well-written. The traffic I've seen in India is similar to what you described.
Bryan Ridenour
05/17/09
You definitely gave me a vivid picture of your driving perils. Nicely done.
Gregory Kane
05/17/09
If this were based on the part of Africa where I live, you would include pigs running across the road and a toll bridge across the river that cuts the city in two. There's no other bridge across the river for hundreds of km in either direction so of course the game designers insist that you have to crawl across!
A very creative way of describing life in Africa. I'm not sure how on topic it is - looked all bad to me. And I felt that I was getting a bit bogged down in the middle of the long paragraphs. But nevertheless an engaging and creative entry. Oh and I liked Frogger too.