If you are a fan of racing cars or The Gadget Show, you may have seen Anki DRIVE (as shown on The Gadget Show on 13th October). This is truly the best interactive car racing game. My husband and son are huge fans of racing cars and this Anki DRIVE has taken car model racing sets to a whole new level.
Not only do you race each other, it is also part of a combat zone where players try to outsmart you! It truly is a great family activity, which gets you talking and interacting. We invited friends to come over and they brought along their tablet to play along with us. You can play with up to four players.
We have received the cars plus the starter kit which comes with: 2 robot cars with 2 charging cases (Boson and Kourai), race track, power cord with adaptor and tyre cleaner.
To play this game, you need to have devices currently supported by the Anki DRIVE app. Click here to check if yours are compatible. The current released versions of the Anki DRIVE app for iOS and Android does not support cross-platform multiplayer games. So we are unable to play the game using my iPad along with Mr C’s Samsung Note. But as mentioned earlier, we had invited our friends who have the same devices so we were able to play it together.
Anki DRIVE APP
I would recommend turning the volume up on your selected device. For the app, turn your Bluetooth on (microphone). Once the app has downloaded, you can either start the tutorial (approx 10 minutes long) or skip it.
Players have the option to create an Anki account. This free account lets you keep track of your in-game achievements and register a unique Driver Name. Your interactions with other Anki DRIVE players are limited to in-person battles with friends, or if you chose to share your race results.
Then select your game modes: Battle Mode, Race Mode, and Team Mode. In Battle Mode, the first car to score a set number of takeouts wins. In Race Mode, it is an all-out fight to the finish line. In Team Mode, players can join up with friends or self-controlled cars to battle against opponents.
Race Track
The race track is 2.59 by 0.91 metres. You need a big and flat surface play area to roll out the track. The track does get dusty quite easily but can be cleaned by using a wet and dry cloth. Once you have finished playing with it, simply roll it back up. On the kit, it also comes with a tyre cleaner.
Cars
The cars are very responsive and easy to control. Each of the cars are very well made and comes with lights on the front and top when charging or shooting. Each car will last around 10 minutes on the track and they take about 10 minutes to charge each time. The charging cables only allow you to charge three cars in one go. The AC adapter (two pins) does not fit into the UK three pin wall socket, so we had to buy a new adapter to fit.
Single Player Versus Multi Player
Setting up is easy that even my six year old knows how to do it. Pairing up with the cars is quick and simple with one or more players.
Overall we are very impressed with the cars, game modes and the fact that it is easy to store away. I would recommend it as I think it is the best interactive car game.
Anki DRIVE has recently dropped its price down to £149.99 (Amazon), which also makes it the perfect Christmas present!
Mr K has kindly made this video for our audience and also shows how the car races too. Please take a moment to watch it!
Disclosure: We have received the samples to do an honest review.