Sinclair User


Southern Belle

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Chris Bourne
Publisher: Hewson Consultants
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Sinclair User #41

Southern Belle

Take your seats for the 12 o'clock service from London Victoria, calling at Clapham Junction, Merstham, Haywards Health and all stations to Brighton. The Southern Belle, the famous Pullman service of the 1920s, is stoking up for a final run.

Hewson Consultants has attempted to capture the trials of life in the engine cab in a full simulation of one of the most elegant trains of all. You must control a 4-6-0 King Arthur Class locomotive, regulating the steam pressure, shovelling coal into the boiler, obeying signals, and even blowing the whistle at the correct times.

The screen display shows the interior of the cab and the features of the track as they pass by. Those include 24 stations, tunnels - including the twin-towered Clayton tunnel - signal boxes, Battersea Power Station, and other landmarks.

Southern Belle

Controlling the train is not easy, in spite of the comprehensive booklet including a history of the line. Gradients are included, and to score full points you must make it to Brighton on time, using an economical amount of coal.

There are a number of training modes, where the computer controls many of the functions, and the full run includes weather hazards. There is a high-speed demo as well, but the whole trip is in real-time, so you will not finish in under an hour.

The version we saw was a pre-production copy with many of the control features not fully operative. Hewson promises further landmarks and decoration on the screen, as well as information about hazards and signals. Our rating is therefore provisional and may be updated in a later issue.

Train lovers will certainly enjoy a good, solid simulation, and those who are used to flight simulators may find a day's outing on the Southern Belle a refreshing change from airport mayhem.

Chris Bourne

Other Reviews Of Southern Belle For The Spectrum 48K


Southern Belle (Hewson)
A review by (Crash)

Southern Belle (Hewson)
A review by C.J. (Home Computing Weekly)

Southern Belle (Hewson)
A review

Southern Belle (Hewson Consultants)
A review

Other Spectrum 48K Game Reviews By Chris Bourne


  • Falklands 82 Front Cover
    Falklands 82
  • Daley Thompson's Decathlon Front Cover
    Daley Thompson's Decathlon
  • Sweevo's Whirled Front Cover
    Sweevo's Whirled
  • Cavelon Front Cover
    Cavelon
  • Spitfire '40 Front Cover
    Spitfire '40
  • Think! Front Cover
    Think!
  • Skool Daze Front Cover
    Skool Daze
  • Know Your Own Personality Front Cover
    Know Your Own Personality
  • Confuzion Front Cover
    Confuzion
  • Back To Skool Front Cover
    Back To Skool