Stunt Car Driver

The game differs from other racing games in that the races take place on an elevated race track, with nothing to stop the player from accidentally driving off the side. Most race tracks in the game have gaps in them, which players can fall into. If this occurs then the player's vehicle is hoisted back onto the track (by a nearby crane), costing valuable time. Turbo can be used to make a car go faster, but it can only be used for a limited amount of time in each race.

The single-player game consists of a league table which is split into four divisions of three drivers each, making a total of twelve racers including the human player. There are two racing tracks in each division making it a total of eight tracks in the game. The tracks in division four (the first division) are easy, but the tracks get progressively more difficult and dangerous with each division. The player's objective is to reach, and subsequently win, division one.

British developer Geoff Crammond spent three years developing Stunt Car Racer, his second car-based title after Revs in 1985. The project started off as a land-roving simulator for Commodore 64 where one drives on randomly undulating terrain. The physics were then programmed for the car's suspension, and after testing the game himself, Crammond found driving off ramps the most enjoyable. He then added in more ramps on an even stretch of the landscape, but had difficulty locating them.

He therefore placed the ramps on a track, which he then elevated to avoid driving onto the field. The track's corners were banked to emphasize the game's speed and the ramps as its main challenge. It was suggested after a magazine interview with Crammond that he was inspired by the arcade game Hard Drivin', but he said that he had seen it only in the final months of his game's development and that it had no impact on its outcome.

The Commodore 64, Amstrad, Amiga, and Atari ST versions of the game received critical acclaim. 64 was particularly enthusiastic about the Commodore 64 version. In its review, it lauded the game's concept and the quality of its 3D vector graphics. One of its reviewers, though preferring to race against more than a single opponent directly, called it the most remarkable Commodore 64 program.

ACE magazine, who was equally enthusiastic, also extolled the version's vector graphics and the speed at which they are loaded as unparalleled in Commodore 64 gaming. Commodore Computing International also praised the use of vector graphics on a brand of computer not well recognised for its library of decent 3D games, as well as the controls and the difficulty, and described the game as a hybrid of Hard Drivin' and Power Drift, with a few ideas of its own. Amstrad Action defined it as a "truly stunning racing sim" and one of the best ever on Amstrad CPC. The Games Machine felt the color selection used for the Amstrad port was gaudy and that with the tracks being of the same colour as the ground and their banked corners lacking shading, distinguishing the road from the ground could be troublesome, but praised its addictive, "hair-raising" gameplay.