By Bob LaFave, Tampa PC Users Group
boblala@ij.net

Tiny Cars 2 was offered by Natalia Matveeva from REALORE Studios for review to the TPCUG, and I quickly answered that I would be a willing test subject. I mean, who can refuse playing a game and providing William with food for his “Newsletter Monster!” You can download the game at http://tinycar2.realore.com for trial and purchase the full version for $19.95. No CD is available and the file is 9.7 MB in size with the current version being 1.10.

Tiny Cars 2 is a throw back to the first games that were produced for computers years ago, simple arcade type games that we all can play and enjoy. The game is easy to start, either as full screen or windowed, and has a simple option menu to set up.

The options provide for controlling the sound of the game, controlling either the four keyboard arrows or joystick, and a “Check for Updates” feature to keep the game updated with the latest version. The update feature starts your web browser and goes to the REALORE site and gives you a message of your version and the current version. You then have a link to the download of the newest version. You can set the type of race as either Single or Championship and review the top times by racetrack by going to the Scores screen. The Help options are three simple pages with game instructions and purpose. Once the type of race is selected you can then choose Profile that sets how hard the racecourse is and the player’s name. You then get to Select Car to choose the car that you are going to use. Next is the Select Track for the track that you are going to race, and finally the race will start.

This setup can be done quickly and is easily understood, no remembering a bunch of control codes. Yes, that is the best part of this game. I can play it and enjoy it at my age. That is not to say that I dislike complicated games but: I will say that I do not have the time, concentration, or memory available to play some games today. I have tried with my sons Playstation and Xbox, and I cannot get comfortable using all the buttons that you have to push, some multiple times, for playing the games. I can control four arrows using both my hands and easily go forward, backwards, left or right to navigate the course. It’s even easier with my joystick in that all I have to do is point in the direction that I want to navigate. As for getting around the course in the least amount of time and avoiding the other cars and picking up the four Bonuses that are available (look at the Help Screen page 1) by driving under them, I can easily handle the game and have enjoyment instead of stress.

The game is definitely PG rated and is safe for children to play. Yes, you can crash into another car but it’s done in much the way that you would play bumper cars at the fair. I enjoyed the games I played and will play it again in the future to relax, have a bit of fun and take a few minutes away from today’s world. u