How to play Pole Position II online
- Steer: left and right arrow keys
- Accelerate: Z (left button)
- Brake: X (right button)
- Low gear / high gear: down arrow / up arrow
- Choose a track: on the selection screen, press the arrow key toward the track’s corner, or F2 (Select)
- Start the qualifying lap: Z or X
- Restart the race: F3 (Reset); F2 (Select) returns to the track screen
- Pause: F4
- Full screen: F9
Both the USA (NTSC) and Europe (PAL) cartridges are on this page; use the switch above the game to change.
Gameplay
Every race starts with a qualifying run. You have 120 seconds of driving, and you need a lap of 73 seconds or less to earn one of the eight places on the starting grid. The faster your lap, the better your position, and the fastest time takes the pole position on the inside lane. Miss the mark and you can keep driving until the 120 seconds are up, but you will not race.
The race itself is five laps. You get 75 seconds for the first lap, and each completed lap adds 60 seconds to the clock. If time runs out before you finish a lap, the race is over. Crashing into another car or a roadside sign blows your car up and costs precious seconds, though you always get a new car while there is time left. Puddles slow you down, and so do skidding and leaving the track.
The four tracks
- Test: the easiest course, a good place to learn.
- Fuji: the track from the first Pole Position, with billboards, puddles and traffic in your way.
- Seaside: the medium course, running along the coast.
- Suzuka: the hardest track.
Each lap is worth 10,000 points and each car you overtake 50. At the finish, every second left on the clock adds 200 points. Your qualifying time also earns a bonus, from 200 points for eighth place on the grid up to 4,000 for pole position.
Tips
- Start in low gear. Pull down before you set off, then push up to shift into high gear once you are rolling.
- Downshift for hard corners. If you arrive at a tight bend too fast, drop to low gear rather than sliding off the road.
- Floor it on the straights. Most of your time is won where the road runs straight.
- Pass with room to spare. Clipping another car costs far more time than waiting a moment for a gap.
- Learn on Test. Get your qualifying times down there before trying Fuji, Seaside and Suzuka.
The story behind Pole Position II on the 7800
Namco released the Pole Position II arcade game in 1983. It kept the Fuji circuit from the first game and added three new tracks: Test, inspired by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Seaside, resembling the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit, and Suzuka. It also brought a new colour scheme for the cars, more billboards and new music.
General Computer Corporation, which also designed the 7800 hardware, converted the game for the console, and it was among the 13 titles announced for the planned 1984 launch. After Jack Tramiel bought Atari, the 7800 was shelved, and it only reached shops in May 1986. When it did, Pole Position II came in the box as the pack-in game, together with a two-button controller. Computer and Video Games magazine reviewed the 7800 version and gave it 84%.
