Oh dear. Formula 1 Simulator unfortunately proves that not all of talented and prolific coder Shaun Southern‘s games were “good”… Because this game is quite awful.

It’s a bad rip-off of Atari‘s Pole Position, and not even a playable one at that.

Surely this can’t be a Shaun Southern game… It is credited as his in various places I looked, although his name isn’t mentioned on the title screen (which it usually is in his games).

Anyway, in Formula 1 Simulator you’ve got high and low gears; a steering wheel at the bottom, and some horizon graphics to differentiate the courses. Roadside graphics are small, white poles, and are far too basic for this type of game… It really isn’t what I would call a simulator…

Overtaking other cars often results in a crash if in high gear, so there is little incentive to actually use it. In fact: there is little incentive to play this game at all – it’s absolutely dire.

If Shaun Southern did make this, I’m sure he made it as a joke.

More: Formula 1 Simulator on Plus/4 World
More: Formula 1 Simulator on Moby Games