Games published by Impulze
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Championship Run
This racing game has a similar structure to Continental Circus, as in the first race you must finish no worse than 76th out of the 100 cars in the computer, but in each successive race, you must do more to qualify, although there are still 100 cars. You must be careful not to go off the track, or crash into the other cars, as this slows the car down.
Your car has 3 gears, and you must press fire while accelerating to go up a gear, and press it while braking to go down (which makes it harder to regain speed after an incident). The tracks are full of hairpins, traffic (not all in direct contention with you for position) and hills - climbing them can be precarious. Races are 4 laps, and the time for each lap is displayed on the screen, along with the distance left to complete that lap.
Round the Bend!
Round the Bend! arrived on the Commodore 64 in 1991, a time when the 8-bit scene was bursting with racers, platformers, and experimental sprite work. This one leans into driving thrills rather than pure spectacle, asking you to commit to momentum as the road twists, narrows, and suddenly demands sharper reflexes. The game’s premise is simple enough to grasp instantly, yet it keeps tightening the screws by varying bends, hazards, and timing so that smooth steering matters as much as speed.
In play, you guide a vehicle along a track that constantly bends away from your assumptions. Turns feel less like isolated obstacles and more like a living rhythm, where the best line depends on what the road did a moment ago. The longer you stay on course, the more you notice how the challenge escalates through cluttered sections and faster decision cycles. Drifting is not the point; precision is. There is a satisfying sense of learning each curve, memorizing when to ease off, and correcting without panicking.
Visually, the C64 handles the motion with a sprite-and-scroll style that was familiar to many drivers of the era, but the presentation still manages to look lively. Road segments slide past with enough contrast to keep edges readable, while roadside elements and obstacles add clutter without becoming a blur. The animation is crisp for 8-bit standards, especially when the car responds quickly to steering inputs. Even when the screen fills up, the game avoids the worst kind of visual confusion, which helps it stay playable rather than merely frantic.
Audio complements the action with punchy chiptune energy and brisk effects designed to make every close call feel louder than it really is. Engine sounds and collision noises land with a sense of immediacy, nudging you to stay focused. The soundtrack does not drown out the road; instead, it provides a steady pulse that mirrors the cadence of turns. It is the kind of sound design that quietly encourages better habits: steer early, listen for trouble, and keep your inputs deliberate.
As a 1991 release, Round the Bend! sits in that late-period pocket where Commodore 64 developers were polishing control feel and moment-to-moment clarity. It does not chase realism, but it does chase that addictive arcade loop: attempt a cleaner run, shave off time, and conquer the next bend with fewer mistakes. For players who enjoy straightforward mechanics with escalating pressure, the game remains an appealing detour from the era’s more common shoot-first catalog.
