Quite a run for your money
The mission of the developers was to create a hybrid racing game: a game that merged arcade racing, so popular in it's day, with more strategic, simulation elements. In practice, this means racing as fast as you can, but gracefully. For example, though it plays fast and relies on your reflexes like any good arcade racer would, you still have to be sure to switch gears properly or you'll ruin your transmission, which will cost you precious gears. Driving pedal-to-the-medal around hairpin turns will cause your tires to wear out, preventing you from taking even the easiest of turns without spinning out.
The game balances these nuances by allowing you to choose a limited quantity of parts at the start of the game that you expect you'll need, and then in between each of the eight legs of your overall race, you're given the chance to repair your car using the spare parts you chose. It's very simple, and allows you to play to your strengths. Do you think you shift well but can't seem to go easy on the turns? Maybe engine and clutch parts aren't your need, but you may want to bump up the number of spare tires. It makes perfect sense to even the most novice of players, and keeps the game feeling surprisingly fresh each go around.
This isn't a game with trememdous production values. The graphics are mostly functional, though the scenery is generally vibrant with some nice, though not subtle, day-night changes throughout the courses. The turns can be tough to gauge, and traffic seems to show up specifically when you are making them. In addition, vehicles frequently change lanes as you approach, making race-stopping wipe outs sometimes impossible to avoid. There is also a fair amount of memorization needed to succeed, due to certain obstacles approaching far too quickly to avoid if you didn't know they were coming. The audio clues, such as the squeal of your tires when you're too fast around a bend or the high revved engine in need of a gear shift, are well implemented and assist the game play. The music is upbeat but not noteworthy; like the graphics, it gets the job done. Victory Run got very decent scores when it was originally reviewed back in 1989, and it holds up surprisingly well today. If you enjoy a racer that gives you more to think about than simply maintaining top speeds, check out Victory Run, it's well worth the $6 price tag. With some practice, you may get to witness the infamous lengthy sequence that took home the "Longest Ending of the Year" award in a major publication in 1989. And that is a bit of gaming history nobody should be without.