It happens all the time in movies: A supporting actor steals the show, upstaging his more high-profile lead star with a performance more heartfelt and genuine. It also happens in computer games. Interstate '76 was a great game that is still fondly remembered by many gamers as a wonderful blend of vehicular action, interesting characters, and an engaging 1970s theme. The giant muscle cars, the funky tunes, and the minimalist graphics are all memorable, but what stays with us as much as those things is the greatest cast member of Interstate '76: Taurus.

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It would be a disservice to call Taurus a sidekick. He's more like a kick in the pants, a much needed motivator for Groove Champion, the supposed hero of Interstate '76. We have nothing against Groove, but he wasn't half the man or hero that Taurus was. When he hems and haws or betrays his inexperience Taurus is there, always with an expletive handy, to jumpstart our sagging Champion.

Taurus' ride is also worthy of mention: a huge white boat with a complement of guns and rockets, which in the beginning of the game is a sight better than Groove's poor little car. Even as you upgrade your own vehicle in Interstate '76, Taurus' car is always a welcome sight, as it means your main man is watching your back, riding to blow away anyone that gets in your way.

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Taurus might seem to have a surly attitude, swearing up and down the desert highways, but he also has a big heart. He chokes back tears when he learns of Jade's death and then whips himself into a righteous rage to bring her killers to justice. Something else that some people don't know about Taurus, though, is that he has a poetic soul, and to make those lonely drives through the wastelands pass a little faster, he can be counted on to read one of his personal and beautiful poems. Taurus is a Renaissance man, really. A Renaissance man who is like Shaft and Shakespeare rolled into one.
 

Meet a sidekick who lends a steady aim