Test Drive II: The Duel

Released: 1989
Published by: Accolade, Inc.
Developed by: Distinctive Software
Author(s): Rick Friesen, Bruce Dawson, Don Mattrick, Brad Gour, Amory Wong, John Boechler, Theresa Henry, Tony Lee, Chris Taylor, Kris Hatlelid, Allan Johanson, Eric Kiss

16-colour EGA graphics

4-colour CGA graphics

Introduction

After their sell-out success of Test Drive in 1987, Distinctive Software got to working on a sequel, and this was released in 1989. Its new feature was that you could now compete against a computer-controlled car.

In the retail game release, the number of cars you could choose to drive was reduced from five to two: only the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 were available. The game adds the concept of three lanes in some places, a working rear-view mirror that shows what's going on behind you, and some other niceties that give you more control, such as the need to actually stop at gas stations close to the pump to complete the stage. The in-car dashboards retain their authentic look from the first game, which was always considered a nice feature.

The mountain pass scenery from TD is retained as an option but is now joined by two additional areas: desert and forest. This is certainly a welcome addition in providing some variety to the race, but the scenery is still rather sparse and can get boring pretty quickly.

TD2 improves on its older brother by providing 12 skill levels to choose from - something they borrowed from Grand Prix Circuit. The first four skill levels have you driving with an automatic transmission to help ease you into the game and the latter 8 with a manual stick shift. The change in skill level also affects your opponent's speed, the speed of the police car, traffic density and speed, and ultimately the score you can get. Some crash damage AI also exists in TD2 - small obstacles can cause your gear to shift down, and a certain number of minor collisions won't put you out of the race. You start the race with 6 lives, but these can be used up fast, especially when driving at speed s obe mindful of oncoming traffic as well as other hazards!

The police continue to be out in force looking to stop speeding motorists, though this time they are not only out on the open road but also wait by the side of the road to flag you down. Should they catch you, a 20-second penalty is added to your time for the current section of road.

For each section of the race you gain score for a clean run (not losing any lives), your time, and getting the highest average speed.

The game was designed with expansion in mind. Apparently borrowing an idea from its golf games, Accolade/Distinctive added the option for both new scenery and cars. Launched at the same time as the main game, Test Drive II Scenery Disk: California Challenge provided you with a route from the Redwoods of Eureka down to the border of Mexico. Also released alongside the game's launch was the first car expansion disk: Test Drive II: The Supercars. This added five news cars, many of which were present in the original Test Drive game: the RUF Twin Turbo, Lotus Turbo Esprit, Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari Testarossa, and the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Some of these you will no doubt recognize as being standard cars in the original Test Drive game. With these you could either drive one of these yourself, have your computer rival drive it, or both drive in the same make/model:

The five cars that make up the Supercars expansion pack

The following year a second 'car pack' arrived called Test Drive II: The Muscle Cars. This added the Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1, Dodge Charger, Pontiac GTO, Shelby Mustang GT Cobra, and the Corvette Stingray:

The five cars that make up the Muscle Cars expansion pack

A second scenery disk was released in 1990 - European Challenge allowed you to take in the sights of The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France and Spain. All these add-ons can be installed at the same time - something other games with expansion pack offerings sometimes struggle with.

The four Expansion Packs available for Test Drive II

In 1990, Distinctive Software got into a bit of hot water with their publisher Accolade when they re-used portions of the code from TD2 in another game, Outrun, for the Sega Megadrive. The claim raised by Accolade was that Distinctive didn't have the rights to re-use any code from TD2, whereas Distinctive argued that similar codes are contained in many computer games, since they are necessary to perform functions such as “clearing the screen or operating the joystick.”, and were not subject to the contractual agreement which gave Accolade the rights to the "Licensed Product" of TD2. Distinctive won the case, as it was decided the licensing agreement "transfers to Accolade the copyright to the concept and design of the video game but not the underlying source code.".

All in all, Test Drive II: The Dual is a more complete version of Test Drive, though one that is hampered by TD1's basic game engine. The main game retailed for $44.95 and the expansion packs sold for $19.95 each. It was succeeded by Test Drive III: The Passion in 1990.

 

System Requirements

System Requirements	Intel 8088/8086 CPU, (anything 286 or better is ideal), 384 KB (512 KB required for EGA or Tandy modes) Graphics support for Hercules, CGA, Tandy/PCjr, and EGA (320 x 200 in 16 colours). Audio support for PC speaker only Keyboard and joystick are supported.
Original Media	Two 5.25" DS/DD 360 KB floppy disks or One 3.5" 720 KB floppy disk.
Installed Size	601 KB (without expansion disks)

From where can it be run?

The game can be run from the floppy disks, or installed to hard disk by running the INSTALL.BAT utility.

 

Copy Protection

Test Drive II introduced a codewheel for copy protection. Before you can drive a highway patrolman asks you a question. Align the outer, middle and inner wheels according to the road signs and vehicle he specifies, and type in the code.

Most downloads of this game online are cracked so no codewheel is required.

How to Setup

To install the game to your hard disk, insert Disk 1 and run INSTALL.BAT for instructions:

Then run DUEL.EXE and you will be prompted to select your graphics card:

If you don't follow the instructions, running DUEL will not find the correct MASTER or PLAY disk file and show this:

Installation of Expansion Disks
The expansion disks don't contain any executable files or batch files. To install them follow these instructions:

1) Run DUEL.EXE from your game directory.
2) Navigate to the "INSTALL" icon in the lower right corner of the selection screen, and hit Enter:

3) Insert your car disk or scenery disk into drive A: or B:.
4) Navigate to the 'Car Disk' or 'Scenery Disk' option and change it to reflect the drive letter into which you inserted your expansion disk.
5) Navigate to 'Copy Cars' or 'Copy Scenery' (depending on what you are installing: a car pack or a scenery pack) and hit enter.
6) Once installed, the cars or scenery will be available from the 'Your Car', 'Opponent Car' or 'Scenery' options on the selection screen.

 

Problems

There are no known problems when running TD2, aside from the slightly convoluted hard disk installation method.

Keys

Arrow left/right= Steer left/right Arrow up = Accelerate Arrow down = Brake Space + Up = Gear up Space + Down = Gear down

D = Display/hide the gearstick Ctrl + P = Pause game Ctrl + S = Sound off/on ESC = End current game

To Quit the Game

Press Ctrl-X and when prompted "Exit to DOS (Y/N)?", press "Y" to exit to DOS. Alternatively, keep pressing ESC to return to the Accolade opening animation, then hit ESC once more followed by "Y"

 

Supporting Documents

• Game Manual (from the Amiga version)

 

Save Games

Just as with the original Test Drive, there is no opportunity to save your progress. If you exit the game, you will lose your progress for the current race. However, when you complete the run in a good time you are asked to enter your name into the high score table. This data is stored in a file called SCORES in the game directory. It is text-readable and editable.

 

Versions of the game known to exist

Version	Date	Comments
1.0	February 1989	Initial public release.
1.0	1990	Test Drive II: The Collection was a compilation of the original game plus all four expansion packs.

 

Original Floppy Disk Contents

The floppy disks have a volume label of "The Duel D1" and "The Duel D2" on the 5.25" disks. To my knowledge, the expansion disks do not have a volume label. Here are each disk's contents:

Main Game ("Program Disk") Disk 1 of 2 - (5.25" 360 KB DS/DD):   Directory of A:\ DISKID DAT 9 28-12-1992 16:17 DUEL EXE 960 06-02-1989 14:20 INSTALL BAT 2,017 20-02-1989 9:19 SONGS BIN 618 01-02-1989 15:27 TD2CGA EXE 104,149 26-02-1989 23:18 TD2EGA EXE 114,421 26-02-1989 23:16 TD2TDY EXE 103,905 26-02-1989 23:20 VOICES BIN 288 28-10-1988 9:12 8 File(s) 326,367 Bytes
Main Game ("Master Disk") Disk 2 of 2 (5.25" 360 KB DS/DD):   Directory of A:\ ACCOLADE PCS 823 21-02-1989 12:04 ACCOLADE PES 1,412 21-02-1989 12:09 CARS DAT 36 28-09-1988 16:18 COP PCS 9,412 21-02-1989 12:04 COP PES 14,036 21-02-1989 12:09 DISKID DAT 9 28-12-1992 16:18 DSITITLE PCS 682 21-02-1989 12:04 DSITITLE PES 890 21-02-1989 12:10 ENDGAME PCS 4,048 21-02-1989 12:04 ENDGAME PES 6,379 21-02-1989 12:10 F40 BIN 847 21-02-1989 13:17 F40 SS 76 05-08-1988 19:07 F40DASH PCS 7,613 21-02-1989 12:07 F40DASH PES 12,845 21-02-1989 12:14 F40O BIN 32 15-02-1989 11:58 F40REAR PCS 2,165 21-02-1989 12:07 F40REAR PES 3,626 21-02-1989 12:15 F40ROAD PCS 5,300 21-02-1989 12:07 F40ROAD PES 6,307 21-02-1989 12:15 F40ST PCS 7,664 21-02-1989 12:08 F40ST PES 11,521 21-02-1989 12:15 GAMEDIFF PCS 1,931 21-02-1989 12:05 GAMEDIFF PES 2,359 21-02-1989 12:10 GAMEOPT PCS 2,067 21-02-1989 12:05 GAMEOPT PES 3,309 21-02-1989 12:10 GASSTUFF PCS 12,785 21-02-1989 12:05 GASSTUFF PES 24,018 21-02-1989 12:11 P959 BIN 847 21-02-1989 13:17 P959 SS 51 05-08-1988 19:00 P959DASH PCS 7,851 21-02-1989 12:08 P959DASH PES 14,689 21-02-1989 12:16 P959O BIN 32 15-02-1989 11:58 P959REAR PCS 2,215 21-02-1989 12:08 P959REAR PES 4,866 21-02-1989 12:16 P959ROAD PCS 4,948 21-02-1989 12:08 P959ROAD PES 7,967 21-02-1989 12:16 P959ST PCS 7,537 21-02-1989 12:08 P959ST PES 11,801 21-02-1989 12:17 ROAD PCS 7,079 21-02-1989 12:05 ROAD PES 7,933 21-02-1989 12:11 SCENES DAT 24 13-02-1989 19:52 SELECT DAT 19 24-07-2009 14:26 TDS2 FNT 386 11-01-1989 13:46 TDS20 DAT 593 21-02-1989 13:18 TDS20 SGN 90 17-02-1989 14:14 TDS21 DAT 584 21-02-1989 13:18 TDS22 DAT 788 21-02-1989 13:18 TDS23 DAT 764 21-02-1989 13:18 TDS24 DAT 868 21-02-1989 13:19 TDS25 DAT 1,024 23-02-1989 21:47 TDS2CAR1 PCS 4,051 21-02-1989 12:06 TDS2CAR1 PES 4,981 21-02-1989 12:13 TDS2CAR2 PCS 3,924 21-02-1989 12:07 TDS2CAR2 PES 4,811 21-02-1989 12:14 TDS2CAR3 PCS 5,313 21-02-1989 12:07 TDS2CAR3 PES 7,702 21-02-1989 12:14 TDS2DEST PCS 2,522 21-02-1989 12:06 TDS2DEST PES 2,927 21-02-1989 12:12 TDS2HISC DAT 340 06-09-2009 0:05 TDS2ICON PCS 3,454 21-02-1989 12:06 TDS2ICON PES 5,452 21-02-1989 12:12 TDS2TRES PCS 3,837 21-02-1989 12:06 TDS2TRES PES 5,112 21-02-1989 12:13 TDS2TUNN PCS 1,487 21-02-1989 12:06 TDS2TUNN PES 1,825 21-02-1989 12:13 TESTDRV2 PCS 3,250 21-02-1989 12:05 TESTDRV2 PES 3,514 21-02-1989 12:12 67 File(s) 289,650 Bytes
Car Disk: The Supercars Disk 1 of 1 (5.25" 360 KB DS/DD):   Directory of A:\ CARS DAT 117 03-02-1989 16:42 COUN BIN 847 21-02-1989 16:50 COUN SS 72 15-12-1988 14:07 COUNDASH PCS 7,624 21-02-1989 15:22 COUNDASH PES 10,405 21-02-1989 15:27 COUNO BIN 32 21-02-1989 16:53 COUNREAR PCS 2,079 21-02-1989 15:22 COUNREAR PES 2,700 21-02-1989 15:27 COUNROAD PCS 5,370 21-02-1989 15:23 COUNROAD PES 6,231 21-02-1989 15:28 COUNST PCS 11,540 21-02-1989 15:23 COUNST PES 13,812 21-02-1989 15:28 DISKID DAT 5 03-02-1989 14:42 FILE_ID DIZ 278 27-11-2011 23:11 LOTU BIN 847 21-02-1989 16:53 LOTU SS 76 15-12-1988 14:07 LOTUDASH PCS 7,624 21-02-1989 15:23 LOTUDASH PES 11,834 21-02-1989 15:28 LOTUO BIN 32 21-02-1989 16:53 LOTUREAR PCS 1,752 21-02-1989 15:23 LOTUREAR PES 2,663 21-02-1989 15:29 LOTUROAD PCS 5,621 21-02-1989 15:24 LOTUROAD PES 6,892 21-02-1989 15:29 LOTUST PCS 7,770 21-02-1989 15:24 LOTUST PES 11,025 21-02-1989 15:29 ROSS BIN 847 21-02-1989 16:53 ROSS SS 71 15-12-1988 12:26 ROSSDASH PCS 7,204 21-02-1989 15:24 ROSSDASH PES 11,201 21-02-1989 15:30 ROSSO BIN 32 21-02-1989 16:54 ROSSREAR PCS 1,705 21-02-1989 15:24 ROSSREAR PES 2,372 21-02-1989 15:30 ROSSROAD PCS 5,446 21-02-1989 15:24 ROSSROAD PES 6,168 21-02-1989 15:30 ROSSST PCS 9,069 21-02-1989 15:25 ROSSST PES 13,098 21-02-1989 15:31 RUF BIN 847 21-02-1989 16:54 RUF SS 71 15-12-1988 12:27 RUFDASH PCS 8,658 21-02-1989 15:25 RUFDASH PES 12,922 21-02-1989 15:31 RUFO BIN 32 21-02-1989 16:54 RUFREAR PCS 2,432 21-02-1989 15:25 RUFREAR PES 4,252 21-02-1989 15:31 RUFROAD PCS 5,992 21-02-1989 15:25 RUFROAD PES 8,866 21-02-1989 15:32 RUFST PCS 8,101 21-02-1989 15:25 RUFST PES 11,887 21-02-1989 15:32 SUPERCAR S 0 28-10-2011 4:48 VETT BIN 847 21-02-1989 16:54 VETT SS 71 15-12-1988 12:27 VETTDASH PCS 7,666 21-02-1989 15:26 VETTDASH PES 9,825 21-02-1989 15:33 VETTO BIN 32 21-02-1989 16:54 VETTREAR PCS 2,060 21-02-1989 15:26 VETTREAR PES 2,528 21-02-1989 15:33 VETTROAD PCS 5,606 21-02-1989 15:26 VETTROAD PES 6,776 21-02-1989 15:33 VETTST PCS 9,015 21-02-1989 15:26 VETTST PES 12,479 21-02-1989 15:34 59 File(s) 295,426 Bytes
Scenery Disk: California Challenge Disk 1 of 1 (5.25" 360 KB DS/DD):   Directory of A:\ CCC FNT 1,012 12-01-1989 20:44 CCC0 DAT 755 21-02-1989 16:56 CCC0 SGN 141 21-02-1989 16:54 CCC1 DAT 713 21-02-1989 16:56 CCC1 SGN 131 21-02-1989 16:55 CCC2 DAT 780 21-02-1989 16:56 CCC2 SGN 294 21-02-1989 16:55 CCC3 DAT 841 21-02-1989 16:56 CCC3 SGN 262 21-02-1989 16:55 CCC4 DAT 974 25-02-1989 18:36 CCC4 SGN 321 25-02-1989 18:39 CCC5 DAT 920 25-02-1989 18:23 CCC5 SGN 402 21-02-1989 16:55 CCC6 DAT 878 27-02-1989 0:34 CCC6 SGN 538 21-02-1989 16:55 CCCCAR1 PCS 4,051 25-01-1989 5:56 CCCCAR1 PES 4,981 16-12-1988 19:25 CCCCAR2 PCS 3,924 25-01-1989 5:56 CCCCAR2 PES 4,811 16-12-1988 19:26 CCCCAR3 PCS 5,313 25-01-1989 5:56 CCCCAR3 PES 7,701 16-12-1988 19:26 CCCFRISC PCS 7,745 05-02-1989 2:57 CCCFRISC PES 9,524 05-02-1989 2:59 CCCICON PCS 3,608 27-02-1989 0:17 CCCICON PES 5,881 27-02-1989 0:17 CCCRED PCS 10,821 05-02-1989 2:57 CCCRED PES 16,441 05-02-1989 2:59 CCCSOUT PCS 8,189 25-02-1989 18:11 CCCSOUT PES 10,530 25-02-1989 18:12 CCCSOUTH PCS 9,196 05-02-1989 2:57 CCCSOUTH PES 11,234 05-02-1989 3:00 DISKID DAT 5 03-02-1989 14:42 FILE_ID DIZ 300 27-11-2011 23:11 SCENES DAT 24 10-02-1989 16:56 34 File(s) 133,241 Bytes
Car Disk: The Muscle Cars Disk 1 of 1 (5.25" 360 KB DS/DD):   Directory of A:\ CAMA BIN 896 01-09-1989 15:04 CAMA SS 72 10-08-1989 4:40 CAMADASH PCS 6,810 21-08-1989 15:38 CAMADASH PES 10,104 21-08-1989 15:34 CAMAO BIN 32 15-08-1989 16:26 CAMAREAR PCS 1,685 21-08-1989 15:38 CAMAREAR PES 2,746 21-08-1989 15:34 CAMAROAD PCS 6,097 21-08-1989 15:38 CAMAROAD PES 6,843 21-08-1989 15:34 CAMAST PCS 8,364 21-08-1989 15:38 CAMAST PES 12,180 21-08-1989 15:35 CARS DAT 101 11-08-1989 16:59 DISKID DAT 5 01-08-1989 13:59 DODG BIN 847 24-08-1989 2:23 DODG SS 76 11-08-1989 13:13 DODGDASH PCS 5,082 21-08-1989 15:55 DODGDASH PES 7,168 28-08-1989 15:20 DODGO BIN 32 24-08-1989 2:28 DODGREAR PCS 2,038 21-08-1989 15:39 DODGREAR PES 2,835 21-08-1989 15:35 DODGROAD PCS 6,310 21-08-1989 15:39 DODGROAD PES 7,318 24-08-1989 1:44 DODGST PCS 7,760 21-08-1989 15:39 DODGST PES 11,673 21-08-1989 15:35 FILE_ID DIZ 272 27-11-2011 23:11 GOAT BIN 847 24-08-1989 3:10 GOAT SS 64 11-08-1989 13:13 GOATDASH PCS 8,901 24-08-1989 14:52 GOATDASH PES 9,861 24-08-1989 14:51 GOATO BIN 32 24-08-1989 3:13 GOATREAR PCS 1,553 21-08-1989 15:39 GOATREAR PES 2,475 21-08-1989 15:36 GOATROAD PCS 6,612 21-08-1989 15:39 GOATROAD PES 8,620 21-08-1989 15:36 GOATST PCS 7,764 21-08-1989 15:39 GOATST PES 12,156 21-08-1989 15:36 GT50 BIN 847 24-08-1989 3:47 GT50 SS 64 11-08-1989 13:14 GT50DASH PCS 8,641 24-08-1989 1:44 GT50DASH PES 9,553 24-08-1989 1:44 GT50O BIN 32 24-08-1989 4:07 GT50REAR PCS 2,039 21-08-1989 15:40 GT50REAR PES 4,028 21-08-1989 15:37 GT50ROAD PCS 6,508 21-08-1989 15:40 GT50ROAD PES 10,302 21-08-1989 15:37 GT50ST PCS 7,970 21-08-1989 15:40 GT50ST PES 11,660 21-08-1989 15:37 STNG BIN 847 24-08-1989 15:37 STNG SS 72 11-08-1989 13:13 STNGDASH PCS 8,163 24-08-1989 14:52 STNGDASH PES 12,479 24-08-1989 14:52 STNGO BIN 32 24-08-1989 14:58 STNGREAR PCS 2,377 21-08-1989 15:40 STNGREAR PES 3,027 21-08-1989 15:37 STNGROAD PCS 6,490 21-08-1989 15:40 STNGROAD PES 7,116 21-08-1989 15:38 STNGST PCS 7,733 24-08-1989 15:37 STNGST PES 10,522 24-08-1989 15:37 SUPERCAR S 0 28-10-2011 4:34 59 File(s) 286,733 Bytes
Scenery Disk: European Challenge Disk 1 of 1 (5.25" 360 KB DS/DD):   Directory of A:\ DISKID DAT 5 12-01-1989 11:11 EC_ FNT 1,012 12-01-1989 20:44 EC_0 DAT 684 04-01-1980 20:21 EC_0 PCS 27,691 04-01-1980 17:29 EC_0 PES 33,020 29-01-1990 17:44 EC_0 SGN 128 29-01-1990 17:40 EC_1 DAT 676 04-01-1980 20:21 EC_1 PCS 17,826 29-01-1990 17:47 EC_1 PES 17,927 29-01-1990 17:44 EC_1 SGN 216 29-01-1990 17:40 EC_2 DAT 869 04-01-1980 20:21 EC_2 PCS 17,585 04-01-1980 17:30 EC_2 PES 17,388 29-01-1990 17:45 EC_2 SGN 212 29-01-1990 17:41 EC_3 DAT 743 04-01-1980 20:20 EC_3 PCS 15,165 29-01-1990 17:48 EC_3 PES 17,162 29-01-1990 17:46 EC_3 SGN 125 29-01-1990 17:41 EC_4 DAT 652 04-01-1980 20:20 EC_4 PCS 8,714 04-01-1980 20:22 EC_4 PES 7,324 04-01-1980 17:33 EC_4 SGN 173 29-01-1990 17:42 EC_5 DAT 742 04-01-1980 20:20 EC_5 PCS 21,853 04-01-1980 17:32 EC_5 PES 23,072 04-01-1980 17:35 EC_5 SGN 278 29-01-1990 17:42 EC_CAR1 PCS 6,071 04-01-1980 17:25 EC_CAR1 PES 6,041 29-01-1990 17:42 EC_CAR2 PCS 5,812 04-01-1980 17:26 EC_CAR2 PES 6,353 29-01-1990 17:43 EC_CAR3 PCS 7,781 04-01-1980 17:26 EC_CAR3 PES 10,079 29-01-1990 17:43 EC_ICON PCS 5,122 05-01-1980 19:08 EC_ICON PES 5,983 29-01-1990 17:47 EUROCH~1 ALL 0 01-11-2011 18:03 FILE_ID DIZ 296 27-11-2011 23:11 SCENES DAT 26 10-01-1990 16:48 37 File(s) 284,806 Bytes

 

Installed Directory Contents

Once installed, the following files are present in the game directory (main game install only, no expansions):

Directory of C:\TD2\.
ACCOLADE PCS                823 05-10-2023 17:04
ACCOLADE PES              1,412 05-10-2023 17:04
CARS     DAT                 36 05-10-2023 17:04
COP      PCS              9,412 05-10-2023 17:04
COP      PES             14,036 05-10-2023 17:04
DISKID   DAT                  9 05-10-2023 17:04
DSITITLE PCS                682 05-10-2023 17:04
DSITITLE PES                890 05-10-2023 17:04
DUEL     EXE                960 05-10-2023 17:04
ENDGAME  PCS              4,048 05-10-2023 17:04
ENDGAME  PES              6,379 05-10-2023 17:04
F40      BIN                847 05-10-2023 17:04
F40      SS                  76 05-10-2023 17:04
F40DASH  PCS              7,613 05-10-2023 17:04
F40DASH  PES             12,845 05-10-2023 17:04
F40O     BIN                 32 05-10-2023 17:04
F40REAR  PCS              2,165 05-10-2023 17:04
F40REAR  PES              3,626 05-10-2023 17:04
F40ROAD  PCS              5,300 05-10-2023 17:04
F40ROAD  PES              6,307 05-10-2023 17:04
F40ST    PCS              7,664 05-10-2023 17:04
F40ST    PES             11,521 05-10-2023 17:04
GAMEDIFF PCS              1,931 05-10-2023 17:04
GAMEDIFF PES              2,359 05-10-2023 17:04
GAMEOPT  PCS              2,067 05-10-2023 17:04
GAMEOPT  PES              3,309 05-10-2023 17:04
GASSTUFF PCS             12,785 05-10-2023 17:04
GASSTUFF PES             24,018 05-10-2023 17:04
P959     BIN                847 05-10-2023 17:04
P959     SS                  51 05-10-2023 17:04
P959DASH PCS              7,851 05-10-2023 17:04
P959DASH PES             14,689 05-10-2023 17:04
P959O    BIN                 32 05-10-2023 17:04
P959REAR PCS              2,215 05-10-2023 17:04
P959REAR PES              4,866 05-10-2023 17:04
P959ROAD PCS              4,948 05-10-2023 17:04
P959ROAD PES              7,967 05-10-2023 17:04
P959ST   PCS              7,537 05-10-2023 17:04
P959ST   PES             11,801 05-10-2023 17:04
README   IBM                962 05-10-2023 17:04
ROAD     PCS              7,079 05-10-2023 17:04
ROAD     PES              7,933 05-10-2023 17:04
RUNME    ANS              1,349 05-10-2023 17:04
RUNME    BAT                112 05-10-2023 17:04
SCENES   DAT                 24 05-10-2023 17:04
SELECT   DAT                 20 05-10-2023 17:19
SONGS    BIN                618 05-10-2023 17:04
TD2CGA   EXE            104,149 05-10-2023 17:04
TD2EGA   EXE            114,421 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2     FNT                386 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS20    DAT                593 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS20    SGN                 90 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS21    DAT                584 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS22    DAT                788 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS23    DAT                764 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS24    DAT                868 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS25    DAT              1,024 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2CAR1 PCS              4,051 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2CAR1 PES              4,981 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2CAR2 PCS              3,924 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2CAR2 PES              4,811 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2CAR3 PCS              5,313 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2CAR3 PES              7,702 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2DEST PCS              2,522 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2DEST PES              2,927 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2HISC BAK                340 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2HISC DAT                340 05-10-2023 17:17
TDS2ICON PCS              3,454 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2ICON PES              5,452 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2TRES PCS              3,837 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2TRES PES              5,112 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2TUNN PCS              1,487 05-10-2023 17:04
TDS2TUNN PES              1,825 05-10-2023 17:04
TESTDRV2 PCS              3,250 05-10-2023 17:04
TESTDRV2 PES              3,514 05-10-2023 17:04
VOICES   BIN                  2 05-10-2023 17:04
   76 File(s)           512,564 Bytes.

 

Game Review

Test Drive II: The Duel's added premise of you racing against another driver add to the fun and tension of needing to win, rather than just getting a faster time than before, though it's good that the 'race against the clock' option is still there, especially so you can hone your skills.

Test Drive II's enhancements are all very welcome, and overall make the game a more enjoyable experience that will cause you to want to spend more time playing. The police are not only on the roads, but can also be seen trying to flag you down by the side of the road. The addition of 12 skillsets with the first four offering you an automatic gearbox make the game more accessible to beginners.

I raced with the RUF Twin Turbo from the Supercars car pack against an opponent with the same car on the 'master scenery' (the one included in the main game release). This is by far the fastest car you can choose from. I decided to go with one of the easier skill levels with the automatic transmission:

Here's how I fared on my first run-through:

Section	Time	Video	Comments	Score
1 Desert 2.7 miles	1:24.7		I made good time to the Wong Stop Gas Shop at 1:07.2 with an average speed of 142 mph and no penalties. My opponent came in at 1:57.2 with no penalties and an average speed of 83 mph, which scored him 3,914 points.	19,594
2 Mountain 4.1 miles	1:41.4		Did well until I crashed into the side wall of a tunnel which cost me a 20-second penalty and 1 life. Reaching Brad Baby's Gas Bistro with a time of 1:41.4 and an average speed of 122 mph scored me 17,082 points. My opponent reached the gas station in 3:05.3 with no penalties and an average speed of 80 mph which gave him 4,310 points.	17,082
3 Forest 6.1 miles	3:39.4		The curves become tougher on this section and there is some fiendishly-positioned traffic where you cannot just blindly overtake without the risk of an oncoming collision. A couple of bad overtaking manoevers cost me a life 30 seconds in and after 2 minutes. I reached Dawson's Gas and Juggling Supplies in 2:59.4 but with 40 seconds of penalty time was added for my two crashes. A good average speed of 100 mph got me 13,107 points. My opponent arrived in 4:27.7 with no penalties and an average speed of 82 mph which provided him with 6,036 points.	13,107
4 Mountain 5.8 miles	4:06.4		Overtaking on a mountain pass on the right isn't a good idea! The third lane disappeared just as I was pulling back in - ugh! I then fell off the side of the mountain after misjudging a corner, and shortly after collided with the wall. With 2 lives down I arrived at Don's Gas-o-rama in 3:06 but with a whole minute added for penalties. Averaging 85 mph scored me 10,663 points. My opponent was way behind with a time of 4:54.7 and he got a 20-second penalty added to that. With is average speed of 67 mph he scored 4,393 points.	10,663
5 Forest 6.2 miles	3:19.7		With a few close shaves with oncoming traffic (including several police cars!), I made excellent time on this section, arriving at Aunty's Gas 'n Grub in 3:19.7 with an average speed of 112 mph. This got me 20,601 points. My opponent took his time on this section with a time of 8:17.4 and an average speed of just 37 mph, netting him 1,075 points.	20,601
6 Forest 6.7 miles	3:21.7		More traffic to content with here but I managed a clean sheet on this long section, with a time of 3:21.7 and an average speed of 120 mph gave me 26,034 points. My opponent mosey'd in with a time of 13:29.2 and picked up a crazy 4 minutes of penalties!! He averaged just 23 mph which got him 373 points.	26,034
OVERALL	17:35.8		Not too shabby. I lost 5 lives and picked up 5 penalties in all. Definitely some room for improvement though!	107,081

Next I tried a much slower car, the Pontiac GTO, just to see how it handled compared to the uber-speedy RUF. It was very different, to say the least! Racing against a Porsche 959, my opponent immediately took the lead but then proceeded to hold me up. Overtaking became much more difficult as it took so much longer to get ahead of other vehicles I had to be very mindful of oncoming traffic. Probably the biggest downside with cars this slow is that it's impossible to out-run the police!

For my third attempt, I went with something middle-of-the-road - the Dodge Charger Daytona with its 144 mph top speed and 0-60 in 5.7 seconds. On the easiest skill level, this car did allow me to evade the police, but the Porsche 959 I was competing against almost always overtook me at the start of the race, then proceeded to hold me up.

I then ran the full set of California Challenge and European Challenge to try out more of the cars. These two scenery packs aren't great - they are very basic, offering little more than road signs and a few new AI cars on the road to indicate where you are. On the European Challenge some countries were almost entirely absent of AI cars - I ran both on the easiest skill level, which does give you lighter traffic anyway, but some vehicles would have been nice.

Distinctive Software's forward-thinking to introduce expansion packs was a shrewd move. Offering just 2 cars in the retail game leaves you wanting more, though the fact you now get three different environments to drive in makes up for this a bit. With the game fully stacked with the 10 additional cars provided by the Supercars and Muscle Cars packs, as well as the California Challenge and European Challenge scenery packs gives the game more longevity.

Could they have done more? Yes. Test Drive II still only supports 16-colour EGA graphics (320 x 200 resolution) and the PC speaker is all you get on the sound front. For 1989, this is woeful, and really detracts from the game. This year saw the release of games like Indianapolis 500: The Simulation, Prince of Persia, and Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, all of which offered a 256-colour VGA version and sound options that included the Ad Lib card.

I do have some gripes with Test Drive II: The Duel, though most are pretty minor. In the European Challenge scenery pack, gas stations still use the same graphic as the ones found in the unexpanded game. If you crash while being pursued by the police, you aren't given a ticket (you just lose a life). Not being able to save your progress after completing a section is also a bit of a niggle. TD2 is obviously based on the same code from the earlier Test Drive game. The driving dynamics are almost identical, apart from being able to go slightly off-road without crashing. The driving dynamics of each vehicle could have been made more acute to help differentiate one over the other, and the crash sequence is the same.