Battle of Britain

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

WARTIME FLIGHTS OF FANCY London's safety rests on your tactical ability as commander of crack fighter squadrons as you fight the Battle of Britain. Nine fighter squadrons are at your disposal to beat off attacks from nine German bomber squadrons. Each bomber follows a different route towards its destination. If 100 or more German planes reach London the battle is lost. The computer allows you to send instructions to individual squadrons and it controls the movement of British and German forces. But there are o graphics. To follow this wargame simulation you must use a map. I am sure this will deter many potential buyers of the game and it certainly detracts from its realism. A sketch map showing the starting positions of the British forces is provided along with the cassette which loaded first time - and the fairly comprehensive instruction leaflet. The controls are easy to use, but you can't spend very long deciding what to do next. The program continually updates the squadron positions and status. This, coupled with the fact that you are meant to use counters or a marker pen to follow the movements of the squadrons on the map, does not make the game very easy to play. Commands you can send to your squadrons are: scramble, patrol, report, return to base and change course. You must follow each command with a squadron number. If a British fighter comes within five kilometres of a German bomber an aerial battle occurs. One minor criticism is that the computer simply displays the word "attacking" when squadrons are locked in combat and all contact is lost. British fighters have to return to base for refuelling. A problem which does not plague the enemy forces as they are equipped with long range fuel tanks. Battle of Britain may appeal to the keen wargamer but it will be of little interest to the average ZX81 user, due mainly to the lack of graphics and the fact that the game must be followed on a map. It is difficult to develop a good strategy, and the game generally lacks realism. The program is also poorly written but with considerable rewriting it could be made into a stimulating simulation. Battle of Britain runs on a 16K ZX81 and is available from Cambridge based Microgame Simulations for £4.95.