Instructions for

Spitfire 40

Mirrorsoft, 1986

Written by Chris Owen, HTML'd by Arnt Gulbrandsen.

Controls

Keyboard, Kempston, Cursor

Aim of the game

As a Spitfire pilot taking to the air for the first time in the hot, deadly summer of 1940, this game follows your career in the air...

Game play

On loading the game you'll have to choose one of the pre-set pilots or load in a saved game. Having done this, choose between Practice, Combat and Combat Practice modes. Practice is fairly self-explanatory; it simply allows you to get a feel for the Spitfire without any German harassment. The two combat modes pit you against enemy fighters. Combat Practice puts you in the air directly behind a German fighter, giving you the opportunity to practice and hopefully improve your dogfighting technique. (A tip: look in your rear mirror every so often!). In true Combat mode, you are placed in an ongoing war situation; you have to take off, seek out the enemy (using the map) and engage them. Once you've defeated them, you then have to land safely back at your airstrip. If you succeed, you can save the game to tape as a Log file recording your career to date. The game is mostly controlled using two separate screens - one shows the instruments and the other the view from the cockpit. A map screen can be referred to while you're flying to help you find the current position of yourself and the enemy planes. The main overview map shows the south-east of England with your plane marked in red and enemy fighters in black. If your Spitfire is inside one of the three squares drawn on this map, you can examine the ground below you in close-up detail by pressing N.

Comments

"An excellent simulation which should appeal to arcade players too".

Rating

90% (CRASH #28, March 1986)

Now

It's not exactly PACIFIC STRIKE or OVERLORD... but as a very simple (by modern standards) flight sim, it's not bad at all.

Keys

Up		 -  P
Down		 -  L
Left		 -  A
Right		 -  S
Fire		 -  Shift or ;
Increase power  -  Q
Decrease power	 -  W
Flaps		 -  F
Landing gear	 -  G		(toggles)
Brakes		 -  B
Overview map	 -  M
Close-up map 	 -  N		(accessed via overview map)
Screen toggle	 -  Space	(switches between instrument
and cockpit views)

Nettverksgruppa, 10/9-94, sinclair@nvg.ntnu.no