I would imagine that Sir-Tech, or any other company building a game, would put in a software mode simply because, as was seen in WW, the biggest problem with games is the lack of compatibility with certain board configurations and manufacturers. There has to be a "common denominator" to fall back on, or otherwise, somewhere, someone's particular configuration won't work and they'll be screaming blue murder.
I think the HPI board is a perfect example of that.
-Sazerac