Arcade Flight Simulator sees you in the cockpit of various warplanes spanning the three world wars (we're yet to have number three). In WWI you're flying early biplanes. WWII puts you in control of that ace of aces, the Spitfire. Things are up to date in WWIII. Here you're in a modern jet fighter, complete with missiles. There are three missions to complete, each in a plane of a different era. The first has you taking off from an airstrip from the green fields of England. You have to destroy shooting ten enemy planes out of the sky before returning to your airbase and picking up a bomb, and dropping it on top of the enemy camp. Level Two has you taking off from an aircraft carrier. You have to do exactly the same thing as in the first level, though - pot ten planes, collect bomb, and blow the base.
Level Three's jet fighter scenario is set in the desert (topical, eh?). Apart from that it's exactly the same plot with different sprites. It does get tougher as you progress; there are more enemies on screen at a time. Fuel runs out quickly whatever you're flying, so you need to visit the fuel dumps that are scattered around. Flying low over them tops up your tanks. Bullets need replenishing too. For this you need to head back to base and land. It's not easy to shoot down the planes. Not only do your bullets have a very short range, but the planes can fly at different heights, represented by the size and detail of the sprites. You have to be at their level to shoot them down, and, of course, they shoot back too!   
Because of the nature of the game, the sprites are very small. At low heights they're little more than a tiny cluster of pixels. They do get more recognisable as they gain altitude, though. It can sometimes be hard to see exactly what's going on against the background. Bullets are particularly difficult to spot, so a careful lookout is necessary. Sound is good. The fx change with each type of plane. The early gunfire from the biplanes in the first level change to the rasp of machine guns in Level Two. This changes again to the swoosh of missiles when at the controls of the jets. There is a two-player game which is very different from the single-player mode. There's no mission to complete and the screen doesn't scroll. The two planes reenter the wrap-around screen on the opposite side when they fly off one edge. It's a player on player dog-fight, and like most two-player games of this type, is extremely simple, but provides endless hours of entertainment. Arcade Flight Sim is hardly that, but it's an excellent airborne blast nonetheless. AA | 
+
