World Grand Prix (1987) (Sega Master System)

World Grand Prix, known as The Circuit (ザ・サーキット) in Japan, is a racing game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Master System. It is effectively an updated version of the SG-1000 and MSX game GP World, sharing many of the same ideas and features (including a track editor).

World Grand Prix is a racing game inspired by Formula One and reminiscent of Namco‘s 1982 arcade game Pole Position. The player drives an open-wheel race car as quickly as possible while navigating through turns and other vehicles on the road. The game contains 12 races, each consisting only of a single lap. Though other competitors appear on the track, the game does not keep track of the player’s position during the race; instead, the player’s position is determined based on the time taken to complete the race, and the other cars primarily act as obstacles. The player must finish sixth or better in each race to continue. There are three difficulty levels, which affects the number of other racers that appear.

The car steers with and . It accelerates with and brakes with . The car is equipped with a two-speed transmission that upshifts (into high) with and downshifts (into low) with .

Driving off the track (including onto the rumble strips on the perimeter of the road) slows the car. Hitting a roadside obstacle or another racer destroys the car. It is restored back to the race, but the player loses time

The game includes a track editor. The segments that can be used for the current section of track are shown below the track. A segment can be selected with or , then placed with . The current section of track can be deleted with . The track must fit inside the white area of the screen. The track can overlap itself (though this overlap is not shown when racing).

Once a complete circuit has been made, the track can be raced. There is no parts selection when racing on a custom circuit, and there is no way to save a track.