How to play Dragster online
- Gas pedal: Space bar (hold it to rev the engine)
- Clutch: left arrow key; let go to shift up one gear
- Steer (Game 2 only): up and down arrow keys
- Start the next race: F12 (Reset) or the right arrow key
- Choose Game 1 or Game 2: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Second player: A is the gas, F is the clutch, T and G steer, H starts a race
Gameplay
Your aim is to reach the finish line as fast as possible. Against a friend, the first car over the line wins; on your own, you race the clock. Each race begins with both cars in neutral and a countdown. You may rev and hold the clutch during the countdown, but if you drop into first gear before it ends, the word EARLY appears and you sit out that race.
Once you are away, everything depends on the tachometer. It is a line that grows across the screen, green at first and red towards the end. Keeping the engine near the red gives you the most speed in each gear, but push it too far and the engine blows, which ends your race on the spot. To change gear, you push the joystick left to clutch, then let it spring back to centre. There are four forward gears and no way to shift down, so changing gear too early leaves you stuck with a slow car.
Game variations
There are two games, both for one or two players. In Game 1 the car runs straight by itself and you only deal with gas, clutch and gears. Game 2 adds steering: you have to keep your car between the grandstands and the centre divider while you shift. The difficulty switches do nothing in this game.
Tips for a faster time
- Rev during the countdown. Holding the gas and clutch while the numbers run down lets you leave the line at high revs, as long as you do not engage first gear too soon.
- Shift at the red, not before. An early change cannot be undone, so watch the tach, not the other car.
- Pop the clutch. David Crane’s own advice in the manual: if the tach drops out of the red, tap the joystick left a few times quickly for extra acceleration.
The story behind Dragster
Dragster is a home take on Drag Race, a 1977 arcade game from Atari’s Kee Games division. The idea came from Crane’s youth in the rural Midwest, where people souped up their cars and raced them. The arcade machine had a steering wheel, a pedal and a gear lever; Crane had to fit all of that onto a joystick with one button, and he later called that control scheme his crowning achievement. Activision also created a new, sharper six-digit score display for the game, replacing the blocky numbers most 2600 games used.
The cartridge sold more than 500,000 copies and brought in over half of Activision’s first-year revenue. Video magazine liked the idea but found the controls clumsy. Activision offered an official Dragster patch to players who mailed in a photo of a fast enough time.
Dragster is also known for a record dispute. In 1982 Todd Rogers claimed a 5.51-second run, which stood for decades. Speedrunner Eric Koziel analysed the game’s code and showed that the fastest possible time is 5.57 seconds. Twin Galaxies removed Rogers’ records in January 2018, and Guinness World Records followed. Several players have since reached 5.57.
Similar games to play next
- Grand Prix – David Crane’s later Activision racing game, on a long scrolling track
- Enduro – Activision’s day-and-night endurance race
- Boxing – another of Activision’s first cartridges, for one or two players
- Street Racer – Atari’s early head-to-head racing collection