Game review 10: Pitchcar
Petrolhead perfection without the petrol thanks to Ferti's wooden road race
Cars. Awful things. Big polluting death traps that, for some reason, people build their whole personalities round.
So long as it’s got four wheels and another one to steer with, what’s the big deal?
However, when it comes to racing games, whether computerised or board based, that’s when I do a complete u-turn on my vehicular opinions. Oh, what glory it is to thrash your opponents and leave them face down in your petrol fumes and tyre tracks.
And, even better, there are no complicated gear switches, pit stops and smelly car fumes in our race today. Just some wooden discs masquerading as motor cars. Petrolhead perfection without the petrol. Exactly my sort of racing game.
And today my opponent is my daughter. Am I going to take it easy on my miniature nemesis on the starting grid? Not this competitive dad! No mercy!
Now, you might be thinking to yourself, ‘What’s wrong with just getting some Hot Wheels cars and racing them round your living room instead of buying some incredibly expensive wooden discs’.
And of course, you’d be absolutely right. Because that’s fun as well. But Pitchcar adds so much more to floor/table-based racing.
The tracks are well-made, sturdy pieces, which allow for any number of tracks set-ups to fire the imagination. And it’s a game of dexterity that’ll get everyone’s competitive spirit going.
Spaceships, spiders and, er, half a Russian doll, all get added by the course designer to make for a challenging second race.
It’s also, while a simple game, a trickier one to perfect than first anticipate. E and I take two cars each, have a qualifying lap, and then start the race – three laps of the track.
Both of us career onto the carpet with frightening ease. And the race ends up being pretty close as a result.
In the end my rather snazzy black-and-pink vehicle comes in first. I’d like to say that didn’t celebrate my victory standing on the sofa dousing myself with champagne – what kind of father would I be if I did that – but I can’t guarantee it.
Of course, this being a fierce battle against my daughter, the race track is suitably complemented with obstacles in the style of her own particular idiom. Spaceships, spiders and, er, half a Russian doll, all get added by the course designer to make for a challenging second race.
Does this add to the Pitchcar experience? As some of the obstacles block the entire track, I would have to say no.
However, there are actual official expansions available and I’m toying with the idea of getting one. If you’ve got any pointers as to which one’s the best, let us know in the comments.
E’s review
What do you like best about the game?
“I love it so much that my heart could even sing that we do have it. And we have to jump over the spider or we have to stay there for ever and we’ll become a spider”
Is it difficult?
“It’s really tricky because we are trying to win but we just can’t.”
Marks out of 10
“One-hundred and fifty-forty out of ten”
My review
Set-up time
It’s a good ten minutes.
Price
It’s not cheap. Probably about the £50/£60 mark. If that’s too much, get the Pitchcar Mini version for £30-£35.
Practicality
It’s a durable set. The box also isn’t huge (though it is heavy), so that’s a plus-point.
Fun for parents?
Yes. And it’ll make a good game for a gathering round the table with a couple of beers once the kids have gone to bed.
