Personal Compuer Games


Choplifter
By Creative
Commodore Vic 20

 
Published in Personal Computer Games #2

Choplifter

This is not, as the title may suggest, an everyday story of a muscle building butcher, but a well-written helicopter rescue game.

The object of the game is to rescue US 'hostages' from an unnamed foreign country. It is not surprising that they wish to escape, since this distant land is filled with prisons, tanks, fighter aircraft, and killer satellites - without even a sniff of a McDonalds!

The helicopter base is located to the east of the enemy border, and the mission takes the helicopter west in search of the hostages - who run round waving what must be double jointed arms in delight at the prospect of returning to the good old US of A.

Choplifter!

Landing the helicopter gives them the break they are looking for, and they leap aboard without a second invitation.

The home team, however, takes great delight in bombing, colliding with and shooting at anything that moves, and all in all, the general impression is that US helicopters and their contents are definitely in 'season'.

Fortunately (and not surprisingly), the helicopters are armed, and may fire back when in the air. Once the first set of hostages have been picked up, the helicopter has to shoot up prisons to release further freeloaders, and this is quite tricky to master.

The game requires a joystick, and since the rotate and firing buttons combine, this is a recipe for disaster to the uninitiated. Scenario: have confidently lined up helicopter gun on enemy satellite... Engage fire button... Your craft promptly turns through 40 degrees... which is more than a bit disconcerting!

However, once the controls are mastered, this is a compulsive game, with both good graphics and a satisfying 'chop-chop' sound from the helicopter blades.

EF

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