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With dexterity and courage, challenge the worst drivers in East Africa to a life or death race across the jammed streets of Nairobi or take on the Big 5 as you bounce through the pothole ridden savanna. 10 characters and 5 different race tracks to choose from.
Aim of the game: to arrive at your destination alive and with your horn still blaring.
Characters
Minibus Driver - Matatu or Dala Dala versions available depending on your location.
The master of overtaking, what they lack in start up speed (you must wait for your vehicle to be full before starting the race) they make up for in manoeuvrability and daring.
• Clink clink a handful of coins to collect your passengers' fares and earn a turbo boost.
• Watch out for passengers banging on the roof and creating a 10 second time penalty.
You must customise your Matatu before starting the game: • First select your favourite football team and emblazon their name across the windscreen (only Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea options available).
• Next find pictures of hot actresses or revered Hip Hop artists and stick them on the roof of your
The Matatu character
note the requirement of passengers to have refreshment pit stops on longer journeys.vehicle for your passengers to admire during the journey. If you can't find pictures to rip out of magazines get a friend to paint portraits of your heroes on the doors and bonnet of your vehicle.
• Choose a name - bonus points for references to religion or designer labels. Paint this wherever there is still blank space on the outside of your vehicle.
• Finally, place two warning signs in the back window.
Register your Matatu name to win a trip to the World Cup in South Africa!*
Names already registered include:
In God We Trust, Blood Brothers, Unbeaten, Angels on Guard, Certified Hustler, Nothing But Prayers, By Grace, Heaven Bound, Cash Money Brothers, Jesus Forever - Street Love, Home of Praise Unlimited, King of the Jungle, Never Give Up Generation, God's Favour, Ladies Edition - Bust It Baby, Classic Reebok, Fly Emirates, and Read The Quaran. NEW! Limited Edition Pimp My Matatu character to download and customise - your imagination is the only limit. You want blue LED lights artistically highlighting the dents on your bumper? - they're yours! How about a 25” flatscreen TV to entertain your passengers? - no problem!
Sound system, additional sub woofers and
Naming your character
extra points for religious references hip hop tracks come as standard.
Taxi - Extremely common character, refers to almost any car on the race track that isn't a 4x4.
• Special features include: no suspension, no indicators, no window controls, no fuel, no seatbelts, the steering wheel at a 40 degree angle to go in a straight line, and handmade levers replacing the gear stick. The horn is guaranteed to work with this character though.
• Bonus points available for ripping off Mzungus: earn 10 points for every 1000 shillings extra charged above the standard rate, additional 10 points available for the 'it's raining' surcharge.
Bus - available as Dar Express or Riverside shuttle version.
Slower and more heavily laden than Minibuses and Taxis but they can travel much greater distances. Whatever the scheduled arrival time is, add another 25%!o(MISSING)f the journey time to this.
• Keep your passengers happy and earn bonus points by serving luke warm sodas.
• Turbo bonus points earned for correctly identifying the number of costume changes and set locations in a single Neema Mwaipopo music video on the in-house entertainment system [full list includes: Neema singing in a sofa shop, Neema singing on a wooden bridge, Neema singing with
open arms in a garden, Neema's dancers grooving by a swimming pool, and finally, Neema singing while reclining in the mouth of a giant stone crocodile].
• Time penalties for toilet stops and border crossings. African players will find they have an advantage at this stage of the game.
Private hire vehicle - available as minibus, car or 4x4 versions.
Fastest of all the characters, powered mainly by pressing hard on the horn button on your console. Lucrative character due to it being favoured by Mzungus, can also be utilised by local players using the 'my-brother-works-for-the-tour-company-so-give-me-a-lift' gaming cheat.
• Bonus points for concentrating on the soundtrack to the ride rather than the actual driving.
• 500 shilling penalties for being stopped by the police for random speed and seatbelt checks. Penalties also for getting stuck in the mud when playing with the 4x4 version of this character.
Overland Truck - 'It's not a bus it's a truck'
Only available on the Mzungu Special Edition unless hacked into using the 'trip leader employment' or 'opportunistic thief' gaming cheats.
Slower than most characters it does however usually finish races intact.
• Boost power by encouraging passengers to wave at local children on the side
of the road.
Motorbike This character can be used by up to 5 players at the same time.
• No safety features available with this character.
• Bonus points for carrying cargo e.g. precariously balanced trays of eggs, sacks of charcoal or 10 foot planks of wood.
Masai cyclist Excessive weight of steel bicycle counteracted by strength and fearlessness of Masai Warrior. Particularly good at herding obstacles such as cows off the race track.
• Special features: red check blanket and a spear balanced across shoulders.
Pedestrian Bottom of the food chain and slowest of all the characters. There is rarely a separate race track for pedestrians so you must take your chances against the other characters on the main track.
• Available in two versions: Locals wear plastic sandals or bare feet and are armed with a large basket or pile of firewood carried on their heads. Mzungu version is rarely seen but can be identified by their Tevas or walking boots and their special feature, a copy of Lonely Planet.
• Bonus points available for daring to cross busy intersections regardless of whether the green man is lit.
• Time penalties for having to climb out of the ditch back on
Beware calm waters and clear skies
with the Zanzibar ferry character there is no such thing as a smooth ride to the race track every time a Matatu or Taxi drives past you on the track.
Ferry - various versions available including Sea Star, Sea Bus and Flying Horse.
All versions guaranteed to induce sea sickness in passengers regardless of sea conditions.
• Time penalties for delayed departures but mega-bonus points for every minute you can keep your passengers waiting in torrential rain on the slippery gangplank without them rioting.
• Bonus points for showing 1950's public service announcement style films about the Kalahari Bushmen and Coke bottles during the journey.
Kenya Airways Plane Don't be deceived by this character's streamlined appearance, it is not the fastest character available.
This character comes with time penalties for delayed departures as standard, but bonus points can be earned for the number of hours you can keep passengers waiting without giving them any explanation for the delays.
• Special features: inability to apologise for problems with broken entertainment systems, broken aircon, broken engines...
• Gold star bonus available for instructing airline staff to ban passengers from drinking water in the departure lounge even if the sealed bottle has been bought from the airport cafe 10 yards away.
The Race Tracks
Downtown Nairobi Do you dare to take on the big bad streets of Nairobbery? Challenge a fellow Matatu driver to a race, tap into the invincibility game cheat, and hit that foot to the gas.
Special features and track specific obstacles include:
• No pavements, all characters share the same track.
• Terrified looking Mzungus in 4x4s.
• Street children begging for food.
• This track is particularly prone to flash flooding.
Kenya to Tanzania Not just a ride in a park, this track will give you a glimpse of real Africa from the relative safety of a bus window. Has the added challenge of a border crossing to negotiate.
Special features and track specific obstacles include:
• Potholes, including the special African trans-road pothole.
• Corrupt border crossing officials - time penalties for refusing to pay bribes.
• Bonus points for spotting Mount Kilimanjaro through the clouds.
• The Masai Bicycle Rider character is particularly well suited to this track.
Ugandan game parks Spot the Big 5 if you can, although for guaranteed viewings download the Tanzania and Kenya game parks bonus pack. Select your character to maximise your game viewing potential - look for smaller and quieter character traits.
Special features and track specific obstacles include:
Rwandan mountain course
watch out for lorries on their sides on the tight bends • Japanese tourists snapping photos of everything they can see, no matter how far in the distance - bonus points for manoeuvring your character between a vehicle full of Japanese tourists and a wild animal.
• Warthogs zigzagging down the track with their tails in the air.
• Marabou Storks sitting on their haunches waiting for the next crash.
Rwandan mountain course Try to enjoy the spectacular scenery as you negotiate this rollercoaster track clinging to the mountainsides in the land of 1000 hills.
Special features and track specific obstacles include:
• Mamas in brightly coloured wraps tending their ridiculously steep fields.
• Children carrying 4 foot sticks of sugar cane on their heads.
• Silverback gorillas beating their chests
Zanzibar crossing Race to the Spice Islands by any means possible. Who can reach the beach first and nab the best hammock? There may be sea in the way but that shouldn't stop a determined Dala Dala driver.
Special features and track specific obstacles include:
• Strategically placed wooden dhows sailing against a sunset backdrop
• Snorkelling spear fishermen
• Boys leaping into the harbour
Obstacles
• Potholes...everywhere, on every track.
• Flash floods and rivers running down the road.
• Goats, sheep, cows
Bonus points for spotting wildlife
...but very big time penalties for hitting endangered species. with enormous horns, antelope, snakes, elephants...
• Street vendors at traffic lights selling newspapers, peanuts, kebabs, samosas, hollogram pictures, bat and balls...
• Rollerskating men with advertisement boards at roundabouts.
• Smelly black smoke clouds billowing out of ancient lorries and buses.
• Cranes lifting lorries out of gulleys on the side of the road.
Bonus points
All characters can earn bonus points for the following:
• Every time the horn is sounded.
• Clipping goats, cows or school children crossing the road.
• Spotting elephants, giraffe, zebras, lions, cheetahs and leopards (time penalty for hitting any of these obstacles though).
*Prize terms and conditions:
Trip to South Africa is for a family of up to 14 members. Transport is by Matatu and will depart from Nairobi on the 11th June arriving Johannesburg on 19th June and departing on 20th June. Accommodation will be in deluxe shacks with shared pit latrine. Meals and Match tickets are not included in the prize. No alternative prize is available and the prize is non-transferable. No refund given for incomplete journey due to Matatu malfunction. Please note, some pictures actually represent the South African edition of the game.
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