How to play

Controls

Computer: left and right arrow keys (or A and D) to steer, down arrow (or S) to brake, Space to start, P to pause and M to turn the sound on or off.

Phone or tablet: use the three buttons under the screen, or hold your thumb on the left or right half of the game to steer. Tap the screen to start.

Your car accelerates by itself. The longer you survive, the faster it gets.

Energy

You start with 10 bars of energy. Hits drain it, so does riding the kerb, and so does plain old wear and tear. When it runs out, your car is finished and you'll find out exactly what killed it.

You can't win. Melbourne always wins. The goal is to survive longer than last time.

Hazards

• -10Pothole. The everyday menace. Comes in clusters on busier stretches.
• -17Crater. A pothole that has given up pretending. A warning flashes before one.
• -20Machete bin. "DODGE THE MACHETE BIN!" flashes when one is coming up.
• -4Traffic cones. They mark the lane the lollipop lady is standing in.
• -22Lollipop lady. Change lanes before you reach her.
• -30Stolen car. Weaves across the road at high speed with the police right behind it (another -25 if you hit them too).
• +20Illegal tobacco carton. Sits in the lane next to the neon shop. Shops turn up more often when you're low on energy.

Tips

Stay off the kerb. It slows you down and slowly eats your energy.

When the screen says "FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY", it's raining: corners get slippery and potholes turn into puddles.

Brake when a car chase is coming. The stolen car passes sooner and you spend less time guessing which way it will swerve.

After a crash you may be offered new tyres in exchange for watching a short ad. That puts you back on the road with 60% energy, once per run.