Spirit Of Speed 1937

Spirit Of Speed 1937 was released on June 9th, 2000 under developers Broadsword Interactive and published by Acclaim Entertainment, and like the title suggests it is based around the early days of Formula 1 racing in the 1930s. In the days before safety regulations and crash barriers, where the drivers raced with the very real danger of meeting death at every corner. (And no Murray Walker either!)
Players can race in some of the fastest cars of the day including the Mercedese Benz 125 and 154, Bugati 35B and the legendary Auto Union Type C designed by a certain Ferdinand Porsche.


Right, wheres the SatNav?

Circuits to race your tub, sorry F1 mean machine on are Brooklands, Donington, Montana, Montlhery, Monza, Pau, Roosevelt, Tripoli and Avus. And there are four modes in all ~ Quick Race, Single Race, Championship and Scenario, the latter being the chance to race in a famous race of yesteryear.
Spirit of Speed 1937 was largely panned by most gaming magazines but as ever I am going to go against the tide. Sure the load times can be a pain in the backside and some of the cars move like go~karts (this was the 30s remember?) but this game is NOT broken and not nearly as awful as some critics would have you think.
I had this back in 2000 and thought it looked and played pretty well, as I still do to this day. I booted it up last night for a spin and tracks like the dusty, palm tree lined Tripoli and the steep banks of Brooklands and Roosevelt felt pretty good to race on. Personally I think the reason some gave it a thumbs down is because the circuits proved too challenging for them and they couldn't understand the differences between racing in a modern day Ferrari compared to say a Napier Railton or Watson Flyer of the 1930s.
Of course they are going to be slower and feel 'rickity' to drive! This is pre WW2, duh! I think the attention to detail is spot on, even down to spectators standing behind hay bales and the jazz soundtrack that was popular in this era. And for those petrolheads among us there is the option to tinker with settings during pit stops.

Get your motor running

So there you have it. Spirit of Speed isn't the best racing game on the Dreamcast but its competent enough and is certainly not the worst racer available. In fact by going back to 1937 Broadsword Interactive have done something different, rather than sticking to the thrills of modern day Formula 1.
This can be picked up on the auction sites and car boots for as little as £1 or £2 (I paid just over £2 for my copy) and thats a steal if you fancy stepping away from that 2011 Ferrari.