AirCars is one of the first titles to utilize the Catbox,
Atari's new networking hardware, enabling linkups to eight
Jaguar systems together for multiplayer gaming.
In order to create a multi-player enviroment, however,
there is a downside. It is necessary to have not only one
CatBox unit for each player (eight players,eight CatBoxes),
but also a separate monitor, a separate copy of AirCars, and
a separate Jaguar, which complicates and raises the tab on
things a bit.
The game itself is a search-and destroy-type mission
played with the now familiar first-person perspective. The
vehicle is a tank-like hovercraft which moves smoothly over
the hilly landscapes; and, aside from the fluid and somewhat
realistic feeling of motion, there is nonetheless, little to be
excited about. AirCars is a good attempt in many ways, but it
doesn't quite make the grade in a few vital categories including,
most notably, graphics -- which are simplistic and lacking in any
particular variety.
There was a picture of a radar station about to blow up
with "In AirCars, the rule is to shoot everything, and if
it blows up, then it was not your friend to begin with" as
a caption. They gave the game three stars (***) meaning
"Good -- a solid and competive example of an established game
style."
