Bismarck Won't Sink

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The German battleship Bismark was one of the most formidable fighting machines ever built. Currently on the loose somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean she is free to prey on the British convoys. It is imperative that you Sink the Bismark.

The main playing area is a map of the mid-Atlantic and the European coastline. On the map are 11 ship symbols which represent your forces and several circles which represent the convoys to be protected.

A small swastika on the screen shows the last reported sighting of the Bismarck, but not necessarily its present position.

Using a cursor you select the vessel you wish to control. You mayalter its speed and direction and it will then hold this course until told otherwise.

The game contains three types of action sequence, crude by arcade game standards but quite adequate for this type of war game simulation.

In the first you are under attack from German U-boats. The computer displays a slice through the Atlantic. On the surface is the bat tleship under threat along with your destroyer.

Below the surface is the U-boat which moves at a constant speed across the screen. Controlling the movement of the destroyer you set depth charges for the correct depth and drop them, hoping they will explode in the path of the U-boat.

The second type of encounter occurs when the Bismarck meets any vessel other than an aircraft carrier.

Below the damage ratings of the two vessels are small silhouettes representing the two ships.

You control the elevation of your guns and may move towards or away from the Bismarck in an attempt to hit it.

Finally we have the encounter between one of your two aircraft carriers and the Bismarck. This time you control the vertical movement of a small plane as it flies between the two silhouettes.

Half way to the target you will encounter the incredible anti-aircraft fire of the Bismarck. I considered myself lucky if I got one in five planes close enough to release a torpedo.

Sink the Bismarck has the perfect balance between pure strategy and an arcade game.

James Riddell