NASCAR Challenge is a dull racing game that doesn't have much going for it. Aside from the list of licensed drivers, there is very little to make you want to play this title. There are only three tracks to choose from, one car, one musical score that is played relentlessly unless disabled, and a screen that is so monotonous it could be used in hypnotherapy. The cartridge comes with its own rumble pak attached, but the only time you'll be feeling it shake is if you touch another car... which, actually, can be quite often.
The main problem with this game is that the track is just too narrow. There is almost no room to pass other cars, and the slightest collision will leave you spinning out like a top as the rest of the competition sails by. Delicate tapping of the gas pedal can give you room to maneuver around your opponents, but for some reason your car suffers from extreme deceleration when moving at anything less than top speed, so if you brake to avoid rear-ending a car in front of you that car will suddenly be miles ahead of you down the track.
Only half of the screen is used in NASCAR Challenge: The top half simply has a fixed background with trees, houses, and clouds that glide by horizontally. Only the bottom half of the screen has any relevance to the game, making it resemble old 8-bit titles that filled up much of the screen with static information to give the appearance that there was more to the game than there actually was while also giving the processor more time to do its job.
Players can't choose the number of laps to race in the competitive mode, and the default setting (six) is much too long for a racer since there is little to do other than occasionally take a few tight turns and avoid cars. The fact that half of the screen is fixed doesn't help, and watching the small amount of action there is doesn't justify giving this game more than a brief look.
