Cheap but somewhat fun racing game from Russian Xbow Software. Built on Chrome Engine 2.
The concept is pretty much the same with Techland's racing games. Win races and earn money to buy new cars or upgrade existing one. Without time limit and free of charge is car setup (brake power, height, stiffness etc)
All 16 curvy and hilly tracks are mainly on tarmac, passing through forests and villages. Here and there are some nice touches. For an example there are no countdown at the start - player have to look a girl who gives a start. There are parked and crashed Ladas (Russian cars) and Russian police cars. Picking up coins, clocks and car fixes on the road are useless addition.
Players can choose between 8 drivers and 18 made up cars. There are 2 difficulty levels - arcade and realistic but physics is quite bad in both of those. All races are against 4 opponents who are surprisingly aggressive and eager to ram. Cars are breakable so player should take care.
Graphics are dated but still nice, smooth and shiny enough. Background music is simple but with happy tone and helps to build the atmosphere. Sound effects are quite bad though. All cars sounds similar and crash sounds are weak. Plus, tires are squealing in every terrain.
"Classic Car Racing" is very short, especially for driving game. With few hours everyone should have golds in all races and that's it. There are no multiplayer, you can just start beating your own record times in single race by trying other cars and upgrades for free.
But the game has it's own feeling. This is rare feature in today's games and respect for that.
Homepage:
http://www.1cpublishing.eu/game/classic-car-racing/overview
PS:
I played 2 racing games from developer Xbow Software and publisher 1C - "Classic Car Racing" and "GM Rally". In a way those reviews belongs together so I suggest to check out the other one. And sorry about my spelling mistakes - English is not my mother tonque.