By John Slade
10 October 1999

Keyboard

This is the default control method and the one used by the majority of the extremely fast drivers. I personally find it hard to control the car with the keyboard but a lot of people use it - probably because they don't have a wheel or joystick.

Mouse

I have never heard of anyone who uses the mouse to drive with. The reason for this is that it is extremely hard to control the steering. So if you don't have a wheel or joystick stay away from the mouse and use the keyboard instead.

Joystick%

This method is used by many people since it is nice and easy although not, in my opinion, precise enough because there is very little movement if the stick between one extreme and the other. With a joystick there are two ways you can control the throttle - wither by the forward and backwards axis or via the buttons. When I used to use the joystick I preferred having a digital throttle by using the buttons for gas and brake.

Steering Wheel and Pedals

This is the control method used by those, including me, who want to get a realistic feel of how it is to drive a formula 1 car.

There are many wheels available on the market at varying prices. If you use racing games a lot then it is best to invest in a decent quality one since cheap wheels tend to break easily with the wear and tear racing causes.

As F1GP is a DOS game there may be some problems with some force feedback wheels. Some wheels are compatible with DOS games - others are not. The Thrustmaster Force GT is one that does not work so don't buy it if you want to use it with F1GP or GP2.