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Doctorsoft's Phantom is not one of your run of the mill flight simulator programs. The cassette carries two versions, one running in two colour Mode 4 and the other in four colour Mode 1. The former is slightly faster.

The game loads quickly, building up to comprehensive cockpit display of instruments, unique in that some information is given in analogue form as well as digital readouts.

I found that once the short but comprehensive instructions had been read and noted, flying the aircraft was a comparatively easy task. In the training mode the scoring is inhibited and crashes at supersonic speeds into the runway are allowed. You can have two or one joystick operation plus keyboard. I found that one joystick plus keyboard for the other controls was the best choice.

In the Form mode, which is automatically entered above 12,000 feet, the enemy aircraft are controllable from the keyboard should you desire, and can be shot down in combat or used to practise formation flying. The combat mode does not allow target control, but the scoring is enabled and kills are logged. Should you get to the stage where your own aircraft is so badly damaged that it can no longer be flown, the ESCAPE key allows you to eject, preserving your score.

The aircraft flies true and is very manoeuvrable and the enemy a real threat, as I found to my cost shortly after starting. Full marks to Doctorsoft. Phantom is better than I expected and well worth the money, whether you are a computer flier or an RAF pilot of the future.

Dave Richards