Personal Computer Games


Whirlybird

Author: Fraser Marshall
Publisher: CRL
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Personal Computer Games #11

Whirlybird

Yet another game that doesn't live up to the melodramatic storyline. As pilot of the helicopter Whirlybird, 'the fastest craft in the skies', your mission is to thwart a dangerous enemy attack on your base.

The whole game lacks credibility, however, because the enemy ships travel at the same speed as your craft.

The object of the game is to capture three Master Captains so that they will reveal their attack plans.

This is achieved by flying to all island and loading up with a bomb while avoiding rapid gunfire from the enemy ships. These move so fast that they are constantly below, guns blazing.

Once you've collected the bomb and dropped it onto the battleship, which is fairly easy, black and grey jet fighters will do their best to bring you down.

Next you have to shoot down three of the black jets and collect their Master Captains who parachute into the sea.

When this has been done you have a limited time to get back to the island, again keeping a wary eye for the speedy enemy jets.

Having completed this task you move onto the next, more difficult, level but I'm afraid to say you'll probably lose interest so quickly that it won't be worth the bother.

The graphics used are OK, nothing more. The Whirlybird is an insignificant looking machine and the escort ships look like tugboats.

All the same, the scrolling and animation are nice and smooth with no flickering.

The sounds of explosions and missiles are adequate but after a while the music grates. This game is no high flyer.

Bob Wade

It's simple at first sight since you can easily spot the patterns that the ships and aircraft follow.

However, the game maintains its appeal because it becomes more difficult on each level and, therefore, does gradually present more of a challenge.

The copter, boats and planes move smoothly but when the ships shoot at you the bullets are terribly hard to see. Fighting the planes is not easy since they dodge around a lot and you should concentrate on avoiding the silver planes and hitting the black ones.

The program does not tell you but when you collect all three pilots you have to disembark them on the ammo island.

Simon Chapman

There's a lot I could say about this one, unfortunately none of it would be very nice. Basically, I think they chosen the wrong computer for it! Sound is nothing special, it's repetitive and annoying, and the graphics...!!! No thanks, I didn't just dislike it, I hated it. There isn't even a high-score table! I'm thinking of erasing the game and using it as a blank cassette. They won't sell many of these.

Fraser Marshall

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