The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee

The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee is another attempt to adapt the popular action TV show (on air between 1979 an 1985) to consoles. The previous games were released exclusively on PSX. Return of the General Lee was introduced to two platforms: PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Both versions are almost identical, although the edition for the Microsoft’s console works slightly faster than its PS2 counterpart.

The game lets you play as two cousins: Bo and Luke Duke - the TV series' main protagonists. The two gentlemen move around the fictional Hazzard county with their trusty 1969 Dodge Charger, dubbed General Lee. The game features also other important characters from the TV series, including: Daisy Duke, uncle Jesse, and Cooter Davenport. The plot of the game focuses on Bo and Luke trying to stop a certain criminal, who intends to make big money at the expense of the Hazzard County's citizens.

The story however, is not unrelated to the gameplay itself. As it is with several other games of this type, the most notable examples being Starsky & Hutch or the Knight Rider series, in-game missions usually require you to drive toward specific points on the map, while your objectives may vary. For example, Bo and Luke can be asked to tail suspicious vehicles, distract the police, or take part in street races. However, it should be noted that the gameplay is completely linear, as the player cannot choose which mission to do next.

The driving physics is rather distinctive, as the cars are very prone to skidding, making them quite difficult to control. Although the cars can be wrecked, there is no visual representation of the damage sustained. The visuals overall are not very impressive, with the car models being the single notable exception, especially in the case of the aforementioned Dodge Charger. The game takes place on a single big map representing the entire Hazzard County. The game features also a split screen multiplayer mode for two players.

Last updated on 10 December 2007