Gunship 2000

Gunship 2000 by MicroProse is a development or the original, seminal, graphically pathetic but wonderful anyway, Gunship. It involved seven different types of machine, included a proper campaign option and made the graphics rather more convincing. You can now fight for God, America and Mom's Apple Pie using the Apache (2 types), Comanche (2 types again), AH6 Defender, Kiowa Warrior or Blackhawk (look out for "friendly" F-15s)

More is not always better, though and, although the manual makes a valiant attempt to explain the dynamics of helicopter flight, the actual simulation is a little disappointing. Despite including translational lift and sloping ground effects in the flight model, this is not a simulator in the true sense. The aircraft feels all wrong, and even on maximum difficulty the flight model seems to respond too much like a conventional aeroplane. Credit where credit due, though; at least the different types fly differently and, taken as a game, it is quite playable.

The graphics, although now showing their age, don't let the show down too badly, and I guess I can live with the unconvincing soundtrack. And I have awarded full marks for not only explaining how to auto-rotate (the helicopter equivalent of gliding) but allowing you to do so when you engines get shot away. Or more likely to crash trying.