Genre: Racing
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Atari

The arcade original's cars had a peculiar, almost abstract angular look to them, and definitely for the better, this Atari 7800 adaptation opts for more realistic, rounded looking cars. The backgrounds are completely static, yet they are exceptionally colorful, and scroll with a pleasant smoothness! Pole Position II doesn't run rings around the competition from a technical standpoint, but who cares when a game is this pleasing to look at?

The 70s vintage sound chip in the Atari 7800 can't quite do justice to car engine noises, but given what the programmers had to work with they did an admirable job, with reasonably believable tones up and down the RPM range! The crash sound works, as does the simulated "engine drowned out by the bumpers" effect when driving on the track edging. The Pole Position theme song is even represented pre-race, in a typically chipper 8-bit Atari kind of way.

Like the game's graphics, the argument could almost be made that this 7800 version plays better than the original arcade rendition; it ditches the "car darts rapidly across the track" effect for a more gradually-ramping up, tire-squealing understeer, which gives the player plenty of time to make subtle adjustments through corners. Unfortunately, the collision detection feels a bit unpredictable, making squeezing between two opposition cars a real risk.

Rather than trying to mimic and cram the original arcade game into a 7800-sized package and inevitably fall short, the designers took more of a "clean room" approach, and designed an open-wheel racer from scratch, suited specifically to the 7800's capabilities-- and it turned out pretty well! It's not one of the system's premier games by any stretch, but its colorful aesthetic and fun track layouts mean that it can be quite addicting to chase for that next high score!