Picture yourself traveling back in time to Forumla 1 racing: 1967, the last year of pure Formula 1 racing. Since then it's been neutered by huge corporate sponsors, aerodynamics, suspension, electronics, and tire technology. But until '67, the driver had nothing but his own talent to get him through. Every decision, every movement that a driver made had to be precise and delicate. If he made the slightest mistake, his car was certain to tell him about it. If you like the premise, you'll love Grand Prix Legends.

Grand Prix Legends, developed by Papyrus' David Kaemmer, truly simulates auto racing. The physics have been in development for a couple of years and they are truly remarkable. Though it is Papyrus' first attempt in the realm of "six degrees of freedom," the physics are by far the most realistic ever brought to the PC. GPL also contains Papyrus' new "AI technology." The simulation contains seven chassis manufacturers, including the Ferrari. In addition, there are eleven historically recreated tracks depicting the F1, 1967 era. Among them is the infamous fourteen mile, 174-turn "Nurburgring", aka "The Ring." And let's not forget one of the most notable tracks in the world, Monaco. Is this starting to sound exciting? There's something here for every racing simulation enthusiast or racing fan.


PHYSICS

Let's scope the physics first, as they are the key to any racing simulation. The level that the player chooses determines such variables as the engine's horsepower and gearbox configuration. Let it be known, that if you are not a dyed in the wool sim racer, you will probably want to start at the "Novice" level. The horsepower here is low and the car is easy to control--very driveable. Furthermore, you will probably be grateful that "Training Mode" has been included. Most inexperienced drivers will find they need the practice! Training mode in GPL provides both cockpit and external view. Once you have decided what view to use, be very careful as you step on the gas. If not, you might find yourself doing a "doughnut" in the pits! When the tach reaches its limit, it's time to shift. And once again be careful, as the rear tires lose their adhesion; you will need to add opposite lock. Once you have left the pits, you will notice how the weight transfers from wheel to wheel. Pay particular attention to the front suspension in the cockpit. Note how it responds as you turn, brake or accelerate. If you prefer the external view, you can see all four corners of the suspension working in harmony. Papyrus made some meticulous detailing on suspension movement when driving the car. A job well done. When you come up to uneven surfaces, be prepared to catch some air; add some opposite lock. There is a tendency to brake real deep in GPL, which was true of actual brakes from that era. So if you are used to today's cars, the brakes may take some getting used to. Pumping the brake pedal will usual get the job done. Or you can even play with the setup. More on that later.

With the new physics engine, you have to be very precise, delicate, smooth and accurate when applying the input to your car. During the first couple of laps, the car will have serious attitude and will bite you back. You are going to have to get the tire temperatures up to provide the proper grip. Let me give you a bit a warning. Go slow at first in GPL! If you don't, you are more likely to flip and roll your racecar. When that happens, you can start over by pushing the "SHIFT+R" keys. But your tire temperatures will be cold again, so you have drive a couple more laps to get them back up. Keep in mind, "SHIFT+R" is an option available to you only in the lower levels. In GP mode and during a race, you have to start over again in the pits. The damage modeling is exceptionally well done. In Training Mode, the amount of damage is adjustable; however, in Single Race mode or Championship mode, the level is preset. When you hit the wall or a guardrail, watch the appropriate wheel get damaged. Or sometimes it messes up the corresponding suspension. And in some cases, if the collision is minor, your wheel alignment settings go out of wack! When you continue to shift through the gearbox and leave your foot on the accelerator, after a certain amount of time, your engine will die. I was shocked to see smoke in my mirrors! So lift off the throttle at each upshift. Slow down to the appropriate speed to downshift. Don't redline the engine or it will explode.


GAMEPLAY

GPL is provided with Training, Single Race, World Championship, and Multiplayer modes. In Training mode, you have three levels of driving difficulty to choose from: novice, advanced and Grand Prix training. Of course, the GP setting is the most difficult. You also have the option of varying levels of damage. And yes, at this level there is a "none" setting for damage. In the Single Race and World Championship modes, besides driving difficulty, there are a couple of other options to choose from including length of practice and race session and the amount of time one can be on the track. These modes do have the CCs on the tracks. When you win a race, you are greeted with a newspaper clipping about your victory! Multiplayer mode gives you an option to race via TCP/IPX, direct connect, or modem. Up to twenty drivers can occupy the track at once. Rumor has it that there is a successful GPL online racing venue on the internet. I suggest you surf around to look for it. It's a blast! In all the modes, you are presented with historic racing memorabilia regarding the track in 1967! Mighty impressive. Talk about a walk back in time. Great job on the research on this Papyrus! In addition, sim drivers are given the map layout of each track prior to the racing screen. You need only click on the page in the bottom right corner. Once you have clicked onto the track selected, you see in the left corner the track record holder. When you click on the page corner again, you have pages of starting grid, laptimes (during a practice session) as well as a page of your personal laptimes. In this screen you see a button for "car setup." Push this for the setup screen. It is here that you can adjust the "dampeners, wheel rate, toe in/out, camber, ride heights, fuel level, steering ratio, brake bias, bump rubbers, tire pressures and anti-roll bar stiffness." To see other page for the car setup, click the button. This screen depicts ramp/angle, final drive ratio, and clutch. Basically, this is your drivetrain page. To get more information about the items listed, please read the manual, it will truly help you out. And by the way, the manuals are exceptionally well done by Car and Driver editor, Steve Smith. Or visit GPL or game sites on the internet. There should be some setup guides out there to help you. The following chassis types are included: Lotus, BRM, Ferrari, Conventry, Murasama, Eagle, and Brabham. And look at the tracks: Kyalami, Mexico, Monaco, Monza, Mosport, Nurburgring, Rouen, Silverstone, Belgium SPA, Watkins Glen and Zandvort.


AI INTELLIGENCE

GPL consists of the new AI technology. Older Papyrus AI were lacking in some areas. In GPL, everything's been ressolved! Big time! Not only do the AI just drive around the track, they think. They also race each other. I like this new AI in GPL. It looks to me that this is a sign of great things to come from Papyrus Simulations. Be forewarned that this new AI does take up a lot of FPU on your CPU. GRAPHICS: The 16 bit graphics are beautiful. Each track and its object are lavishly laid out. The cars and their suspension are very well detail. I really admire the realistic look of the tires. In the cockpit, the gauge clusters are visible, though you can't read them. No big deal, use the arm to dictate where exactly you are in RPM range and fuel level. Dynamic skidmarks, smoke, shadows, and fire are a gift that replicate a bygone era perfectly. You have an option of running a full detail mirror, but if you don't have your system up to par, watch the frame rate drop. You can adjust your graphics level by either checking or adding a particular detail. GPL is optimized for Rendition and 3Dfx video cards. Though, as we speak, there is a beta version of an OPEN GL port available for the TNT chipsets or any chipset that can run OPEN GL. Resolution range from 512x384 to all the way up to 1027x768. Just be remember the higher the resolution, the more the frame rate will suffer.


SOUND

Each chassis has it own engine sound, but the Ferrari sounds the best. There are crowd noises, tire squeals, other engine sounds (when you are on the track or viewing via replay), and engine problem sounds, etc. Everything is included that you would have heard in 1967 Grand Prix racing, even the announcer coming over the PA system. CONTROLS: This sim is the first from Papyrus to use the "separate axes." What this means is that you can get on the brake pedal and still use the accelerator, just like in a real car. I do suggest that any beginner move the wheel sensitivity setting to the left for "non-linear" action. Default could be far too "twitchy, highly responsive." I set mine all the way to the right for "linear setting." Get the picture? It would be a waste of time not to use wheels and pedals. Also, GPL gives you an option of using a clutch.


BOTTOMLINE

GPL just broke all records in the realm of racing simulations, thereby creating new standards for other software developers to aim at. I highly recommend this sim to any racing fan or hard core sim racer. It's it is necessary to have enough hardware to run the simulation, as it requires a lot of FPU. There are lots of calculations going on here! I recommend at least a P2 300. For the new driver, GPL does have a "steep" learning curve. It's going to develop time, practice and patience to successful.