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Skyfox was originally released by Electronic Arts for the Apple II computer as long ago as 1984. Ariolasoft released the Commodore 64 conversion in 1985 when it was a top five hit in the UK.

Now the Atari ST and Amiga versions of this evergreen program are released proving that not all games are banished to that great duplicator in the sky after ten weeks on the shelves.

Skyfox is an air-to-air and air-to-ground combat and flight arcade/simulation with the emphasis very much on arcade. There are fifteen different missions to choose from ranging from training sorties to full scale invasions.

Each mission can be played at any one of five skill levels from Cadet (quite easy) up to Ace of the Base (should carry a government health warning!).

The action is viewed from the cockpit of your Skyfox. Skyfox fighters are equipped with the latest in weapon technology including guided and heat-seeking missiles. Overhead and forward radar displays help you pin-point enemy installations and targets while engaging the autopilot will take you to the nearest enemy-occupied sector.

Direction, speed, altitude, and laser fire are all controlled by the mouse but the keyboard is required for missile launch and all other functions including bringing up the status map (beamed from your base computer) which gives you an overview of the surrounding sectors, and allows you to zoom in on any one sector for a closer view of what's going on.

Of the fifteen scenarios, the first seven are training missions, some with tanks only, some just with planes and the rest having a liberal smattering of both.

The remaining eight scenarios are the real thing, in which you must quash invading forces as well as protect your home base against capture. Should your base fall to the enemy, you will be unable to land and refuel, and will no longer receive. You will also lose the use of your base computer.

Tanks are dealt with in the low combat arena (below 1000ft) while planes can only be shot down by flying up through the cloud layer to altitudes of between 30,000-40,000ft. Whether in the low or high combat arena, the 3D background of either tanks and ground installations or clouds and planes scrolls smoothly towards you at breakneck speed as you destroy anything that moves.

With so many different options and skill levels and a nice balance between arcade, flight simulator, and strategy, there is no reason why the ST version of Skyfox shouldn't be every bit as popular as its predecessors.