Sport of Kings, also marketed as Omni-play Racing, is one of the few games that revolve around the age-old sport of horse racing. The goal, for up to five players, is to manage a successful horse racing stable. It was developed by Virgin Games Incorporated and was written by sports simulation mastermind Ed Ringler. Mastermind Group Limited released it in middle eighties.
Over thirteen or twenty six weeks, depending on how involved the user would like to get, the user must choose a racing stable and fill out the respective race cards for ensuing events.
The opposition’s horses and jockeys will be random, but the user has full control over what goes on in the stable he manages. The user chooses which races each horse will enter, and hires jockeys that he feels will provide the horses with their best chances of winning. Last, but certainly not least, the user is able to bet on the horse races as a means to make a little extra money.
There are many user defined options in Sport of Kings, which makes it highly customizable and lends nicely to its replay value. The user can choose his name, the number of players, the amount of money he is to begin with, length of the season and so forth. It isn’t a lesson in micromanagement,
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but there are still some very nice details to be handled.
There is a lot of information to process when betting in Sport of Kings. The odds for each horse’s winning are clearly stated. The user can view the entire career of each and every jockey, not just those guiding his own horses. The user can also look at the records or each individual horse, and can delve into breeding history. There is a section that shows weather conditions and the effects of them on various horses and jockeys. Finally, the user is also able to view the statistics on other people betting on each race, and is ultimately given the opportunity to purchase tips from those betters who appear, from their records, to have the inside track. Betting depends on the number of horses in the race and is similar to real life betting. The riskier the bet, the more lucrative the payout, if it is a good wager. The overall goal is to simply make as much money as possible.
Most of the view of Sport of Kings involves navigating around different sets of statistics when preparing the stables and a bet. The races themselves are actually watched in a side view perspective. There are cut scenes that add depth to the game and decent graphics showing the actual races. Overall, the various aspects of the game blend together nicely and create an atmosphere similar to being at trackside. This is an addictive little game and makes a great download.
