About: Grand Prix (Geoff Crammond Series)

Grand Prix

Formula One Grand Prix (known as World Circuit in the United States) is a racing simulator released in 1992 by MicroProse for the Atari ST, Amiga and PC created by game designer Geoff Crammond. It is often referred to as Grand Prix 1, MicroProse Grand Prix, or just F1GP. Although the game itself was not affiliated officially with the FIA or any Formula One drivers, team liveries and driver helmets were accurate to represent the 1991 season, but the names were fictional. The game is a simulation of Formula One racing at the time and was noted for its 3D graphics and attention to detail, in particular the players ability to edit the teams and drivers and set up their car to their own personal specifications. The game was ranked the 27th best game of all time by Amiga Power.

Grand Prix’s success spawned three sequels, called Grand Prix 2, Grand Prix 3 and Grand Prix 4. These were exclusively PC games.

• Release Date: 1992
• Platforms: Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, PC (DOS)

Grand Prix 2

Grand Prix 2, released in the American market as Grand Prix II, is a racing simulator released by MicroProse in 1996. It was made under an official FIA license that featured the Formula One 1994 season, with all of the circuits, teams, drivers and cars. The cars were painted with liveries reflecting the races that did not allow tobacco and alcohol sponsors (e.g. 1994 British Grand Prix).

It had 3D texture mapping and SVGA graphics, as well as an early 3D physics engine. A large community of GP2 enthusiasts formed following the game’s release. Grand Prix 2 is recognized as one of the definitive racing simulations of its era.

• Release Date: 1996
• Platform: PC (Dos)

Grand Prix 3

Grand Prix 3 is a computer racing simulator by MicroProse, released in 2000 by Hasbro Interactive.

The game is known for featuring the 1998 Formula One season (with all drivers except Jacques Villeneuve, who is instead replaced by a fictional character, John Newhouse). In August 2001 an expansion pack “Grand Prix 3: 2000 Season” was released, updating the game to feature the 2000 season’s cars and drivers, as well as the 2 new circuits on the calendar, the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

• Release Date: 2000
• Platform: PC (Windows)

Grand Prix 4

Grand Prix 4, commonly known as GP4 was released for the PC on June 21, 2002, is currently the last Formula One racing simulator released by the developer Geoff Crammond and the MicroProse label. Based on the 2001 Formula One season, GP4 essentially serves as a graphical and seasonal update of Grand Prix 3 which had been released in 2000. The game retained the series’ legendary physics engine. However it entered the market at a far less hospitable time than its three predecessors, and the game faced stiff competition from an alternative Formula One simulation from studios such as ISI.

• Release Date: 2002
• Platform: PC (Windows)