Previous Next

The first title on the Imageworks label (formerly Mirrorsoft) is a one-on-one split screen, vector graphic flight combat simulator. Programmed in the US by Maxis, it gives one or two players the chance to take on the World's hottest fighter planes and fly them in battle against a variety of enemy craft.

At the start of a game, a wealth of options confront the player. One of the most important is the choice of players: two players may fly head-to-head, and there's also a choice of a computer opponent or demo mode. The computer opponent has four levels of difficulty, from easy to Ace.

Next, a jet is chosen. There's a wide variety of craft, including a MiG Flogger, F-14, F-16 and F-18 - the programmers have also included a paper plane, which has the best specification of them all!

When each player has chosen a plane, the amount of fuel, bullets and missiles is set. The missile lock threshold (when the targetting system actually locks onto an enemy plane), bullet hit area, size of the playing area (pilots have to keep within its confines) and G-Force tolerance may also be adjusted.

During play the screen is split vertically into two halves, representing each players' viewpoint. Beneath each players' screen is an information panel showing all flight statistics. The controls have been deliberately simplified to allow players to concentrate on combat. Both players start in the air, facing one another, and simply dogfight until one is destroyed by being shot down, flying out of the playing area, flying too high, or running out of fuel. Missiles or bullets are launched using the fire button, and thrust is increased or decreased using the keyboard.

Points are scored whenever the enemy plane is destroyed, and the objective is to simply outscore your opponent.

Although Sky Chase has an impressive front end, the game itself is very simplistic, and plays similarly to Ocean's failed Top Gun licence; it pales in comparison with Cascade's Ace II. There's little difference between the planes, and the gameplay is very repetitive.

A very major flaw is the computer opponent - it's pathetic. The easy level is a pushover... and so is Ace! Its tactics never vary, and it soon becomes very predictable.

The potential for a brilliant 16-bit combat simulator is there, but unfortunately Sky Chase hasn't realised it.