Super Off Road

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Super Off Road

Super Off Road aka Ivan Stewart's Super Off Road is an arcade video game released in 1989 by The Leland Corporation. Virgin Games produced several home versions in 1990. In 1991, an NES version was later released by Leland's Tradewest subsidiary followed by versions for most major home formats, including Super NES, Amiga and MS-Dos.

In the game, up to 3 players (4 in the NES version through use of either the NES Satellite or NES Four Score) compete against each other or the computer in racing around several top-view indoor off-road truck tracks of increasing difficulty. Good results earn the player points to continue in the championship and money with which to upgrade their truck or buy more nitro boosters. The goal is to reach the end of the season with the most money earned. Continues are available but whereas players can get extra money in the arcade version, in the home versions, the player's money is reset to 0. This is one of the first games where the player could upgrade his or her vehicle by earning points or money (although in Atari Games' Sprint series, one could upgrade their racer using wrenches), a system that is used in most arcade-style racing games today.

Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road is the first arcade game to feature Dynamic Play Adjustment (DPA), the cpu would change the speed and skill of the grey car (supposedly Mr. Stewart himself) in relation to your performance in the game, in order to ensure high earnings and close contests. The track pack was an add-on board for arcade units that contains eight brand-new tracks which are : Shortcut, Cutt-off Pass, Pig Bog, Rio Trio, Leapin' Lizards, Redoubt About, Boulder Hill and Volcano Valley. It also gave the brand new ability to choose between either the normal truck or the dune buggy. Both vehicles had different characteristics accordingly and added a new element to the game.

This game was not developed or published by Williams, Midway, or Atari Games. Nonetheless, both this game and its "Track Pack" upgrade can be found in Midway Arcade Treasures 3. However, this version does not have the "Ironman" Ivan Stewart license, and as such is known simply as "Super Off Road", with the white, computer controlled car being "driven" by "'Lightning' Kevin Lydy" (in the original arcade version, the white car is "driven" by Ivan Stewart). While Kevin Lydy is a real person, he is not an off road racer. He is a video game developer.