Mark K and I quite like Formula De but it can take quite a while to get through a multi-lap race so I was very interested to hear good reports of the streamlined version, FD Mini. The basics of the game are the same but the way in which penalties are assessed has been greatly simplified. You merely have a single supply of wear tokens which diminish as you suffer collisions, brake too hard, over-run corners or drop down multiple gears.

We played a three lap race on the two-lane circuit and completed it well within an hour. Nige shot off to a flying start whereas Mark G and I both crawled off the starting grid. Due to some excellent driving over the rest of the first lap, I managed to get back into contention with Nige and Mark K, while Mark G’s car continued to cause problems and he dropped back. A couple of poor die rolls on the second lap ruined my chances but I still held out hope as all of us refused to go into the pits and we all got bery low on wear points. Just as Nige came round to lap Mark G right by the finish line, Mark’s car finally blew up leaving Mark K comfortably in second place, a position he was unable to sustain, as his car packed up on the penultimate straight, allowing me to sneak second place. Nige, however, had a fine drive, easily deserving his win – a fact I’m sure he’ll remind us of next time.

FD Mini is excellent. It doesn’t have quite the same complexity in managing your car as the original but benefits from being a cleaner design and playing much quicker. The race seems more exciting somehow and that’s just what you want from a racing game.