Lost In Translation/WEC Le Mans 24

About The Game
WEC Le Mans 24 is a chase-view driving arcade video game.

A demanding yet superb sprite-scaling racing game from Konami, based on the annual 'WEC Le Mans 24' race; a gruelling event that, as its name suggests, takes place over a 24-hour period.

The width of Le Mans' racetrack never varied and remained a constant 3 lanes wide. The track itself was incredibly demanding and contact with either a rival racer or one of the many track-side objects would send the player's vehicle flying dramatically through the air, costing valuable seconds in time.

Additional Technical Information
Players : 1

Control : Steering wheel

Buttons : 3 (ACCELERATE, BRAKE, GEAR)

Trivia
Released in November 1986.

Also released as :
 * "WEC Le Mans 24 [Mini Spin model]"
 * "WEC Le Mans 24 [Upright model]"

WEC Le Mans was released the same year as Sega's seminal "Out Run" and tends to be unfairly overlooked in the annuls of video game history. The sprite-scaling and use of colour is superb with the game-play being tight and responsive - if a little on the difficult side. Le Mans asked rather more of the player than Out Run, adopting more of a 'simulation' approach to its game-play - but patient and skilful players found their efforts suitably rewarded.

Reflecting real-life motor-racing sponsorship, Le Man's racetrack is lined with billboards advertising recognized cigarette brands, such as 'Gitanes' and 'Lucky Strike'.

The game forbids the initials 'SEX' on the high score table. If you try, it gets changed to 'HHH'.

Apollon Music released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Original Sound of WEC Le Mans 24 Arcade Version - BY12-5027) on 21/08/1987.

Series

 * 1) WEC Le Mans 24 [Big Spin model] (1986)
 * WEC Le Mans 24 [Mini Spin model] (1986)
 * WEC Le Mans 24 [Upright model] (1986)
 * 1) Racin' Force (1994)

Ports

 * Computers :
 * Amstrad CPC (1988)
 * Commodore C64 (1989)
 * Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1989)
 * Commodore C64 (1990, "100% Dynamite")
 * Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1990, "100% Dynamite")