C&VG


Deep Strike
By Durell
Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #64

Deep Strike

No, there's no sign of Arthur Scargill despite the name of this latest offering from Durell. You find yourself flying a World War One bi-plane, riding shotgun to a World War One bomber. Both of you are on a mission to destroy an enemy fuel dump.

Your job is to protect the bomber - you get four of them - from the onslaught of enemy fighters and guide it to its target across enemy held countryside. You also control of the bombing end of the bomber and can rain bombs down on gun emplacements and encampments as you fly toward the target.

The landscape includes pretty accurately represented hills and valleys. You use a compass on your instrument panel to find the way to your target - you must always fly in the direction it is pointing. Stray off target and you run into heavy enemy fire and loads of fighters. You can check your progress by calling up a map. This also pauses the game.

Deep Strike

You'll come across barrage balloons. You can shoot them down for extra points - but must avoid them as they'll destroy your bomber as surely as a blast of gunfire.

Enemy fighters come in three types, Red and Black Barons and Blue Maxes. Red planes behave pretty normally, Black Barons have kamikaze pilots and Blue Maxes are sharp-shooters.

The screen display shows a pilots-eye view of the landscape and the bomber you're protecting. It's a good idea to position yourself a little below your companion as a misdirected blast of machine gun fire from your guns can knock him out of the sky as surely as a burst from the enemy planes.

Deep Strike

The Spectrum version has pretty useless sound and a tune which gets irritating - and the Amstrad version noises aren't much better.

There are several skill levels and joystick/keyboard options. Plus a high score chart.

You always have to start back at base when you've been shot down or lost all your bombers which is a bit of a pain, and remember to save some bombs for your final target - it's no good getting all the way without anything to blow things up with.

Deep Strike is a playable and different air-combat game. But I reckon that at nearly £10 it's overpriced. Knock a couple of quid off and it would be much better value.