World Grand Prix

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World Grand Prix

System(s): Sega Master System

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega

Distributor: Ariolasoft (DE), Ecofilmes (PT), Tec Toy (BR), Samsung (KR), Aaronix (TW)

Genre: Racing^[1]

Number of players: 1

Release	Date	RRP	Code
JP	1986-09-21^[1]	¥5,0005,000	G-1304
US	1986-10^[2]		5053
EU	1987-11^[3]		MK-5080-50
BX	19xx
DE	1987	DM 7979	41006
PT	19xx		MSJ-WGP
UK	1987-11^[4]^[3]	£19.9519.95^[3]^[5]	MK-5080-50
AU	19xx
BR	19xx
KR	19xx		GB-1304
TW	19xx		G-1304
ZA	19xx

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).

Gameplay

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.

Parts shop

Points are awarded depending on the player's placement at the end of each race:

Placement	Points awarded
1st	200
2nd	100
3rd	80
4th	40
5th	20
6th	10

Races can be run multiple times to accumulate more points. If the player has at least 100 points, parts can be purchased in exchange for points won after a race.

Upgrade	Points cost	Effect
Accelerator	100	Increases acceleration.
Handling	150	Improves turning.
Engine	200	Increases top speed.

Multiple upgrades can be equipped at once. The parts obtained are only used for the next race and must be purchased again to use on another race.

Courses

While the game is not paired with any official racing licenses, all of the pre-made tracks resemble circuits seen in the 1976 Formula One season. Names or locations for the circuits are never shown, though often the backgrounds can give further clues (for example, the British circuit, Brands Hatch features Big Ben and the UK Houses of Parliament in the background).

The Japanese cover art, however, seemingly depicts the 1985 season, with Nelson Piquet's Brabham BT54 (7) in front of Alain Prost's McLaren MP4/2B (1).

	1 Course
	Based on the Japanese Grand Prix.
	2 Course
	Based on the Dutch Grand Prix.
	3 Course
	Based on the French Grand Prix.
	4 Course
	Based on the Canadian Grand Prix.
	5 Course
	Based on the South African Grand Prix
	6 Course
	Based on the Austrian Grand Prix.
	7 Course
	Based on the United States Grand Prix.
	8 Course

	9 Course
	Based on the Swedish Grand Prix.
	10 Course
	Based on the United States Grand Prix West.
	11 Course
	Based on the British Grand Prix.
	12 Course
	Based on the Monaco Grand Prix.

Track editor

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.