Powerdrome

---

title: "Powerdrome" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1988-video-games", "2004-video-games", "amiga-games", "argonaut-games-games", "atari-st-games", "dos-games", "electronic-arts-games", "multiplayer-and-single-player-video-games", "playstation-2-games", "racing-video-games", "science-fiction-racing-games", "video-games-developed-in-the-united-kingdom", "video-games-scored-by-christopher-mann", "windows-games", "xbox-games"] description: "1988 video game" topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powerdrome" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1988 video game ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox video game"]

Field	Value
title	Powerdrome
image	Powerdrome 1988 cover.png
publisher	Electronic Arts
designer	Michael Powell
platforms	Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS
released	1988: Atari ST
1989: Amiga
1990: MS-DOS
genre	Racing
modes	Single-player, multiplayer
::

| title = Powerdrome | image = Powerdrome 1988 cover.png | publisher = Electronic Arts | designer = Michael Powell | platforms = Atari ST, Amiga, MS-DOS | released = 1988: Atari ST 1989: Amiga 1990: MS-DOS | genre = Racing | modes = Single-player, multiplayer Powerdrome is a 1988 futuristic racing video game by Michael Powell released on the Atari ST and published by Electronic Arts. Players race jet-engined, anti-gravity bikes called blades around closed tracks. Ports for Amiga and MS-DOS were released in 1989 and 1990 respectively. A remake was released in 2004.

Gameplay

The game includes six tracks, set across five planets. The road-equivalent turning method of yaw is not present, meaning a right turn is achieved by rolling to the right and pitching up. Control is sensitive, but allows use of the mouse for greater accuracy. Gameplay is complicated by the need to equip gas filters to cope with each planet's atmosphere and weather, with further choices to be made over types of fuel.

Control was improved for the Amiga release in 1989 and an extra track made available. A version on the PC in 1990 was soon followed by a re-release on all formats.

Reception

Released as a budget game, Powerdrome received good reviews, with a few remembering the original and its influence on the futuristic racing genre. All were impressed with the smooth sensation of speed and detailed environments, although the music was considered lackluster and the pilots' voices annoying.

Remake

Main article: Power Drome

References

References

1. (May 25, 1990). "Powerdrome". [[Chicago Tribune]].
2. Timothy Trimble;Apr 1990;''Powerdrome Review'' in ''Amiga World'' Vol 6 No 4;pp72] "To make a right turn, roll to the right, then pull back on the yoke, which swings the nose of your racer into the turn."
3. Mark Higham;(Dec 1988);''Powerdrome'' in ''ST Amiga Format 6'' (Dec 1988);pp 52-53 "This spectacular looking frying pan is about as easy to control as a Lamborghini in the wintry frozen fields of Dartmoor."
4. (December 2020)
5. [http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox/driving/powerdrome/review.html GameSpot] {{webarchive. link. (2007-10-14 "When speaking of the genesis of futuristic racing games as we know them ... UK developer Argonaut lays some claim to genre husbandry")

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::