Personal Computer News


Dragon Fly
By Hewson Consultants
Dragon 32

 
Published in Personal Computer News #030

Clouds of Witless

Yet again it's time to try one hand at what is mistakenly called a Flight Simulator. In my case the description should invariably be a Crash Simulator.

Objectives

This Basic program gives you two options, both of them beginning with you stationary on the runway of Norwich airport.

The cassette is well-presented, with three pages of instructions plus a simple diagram to illustrate what angles of heading and bearing are.

In Play

Dragon Fly

Doubts begin even before you taxi down the runway. Having said yes or no to the joystick (which takes the place of the arrow keys for nose up, nose down or banking left or right), you then see that the wind is blowing from 290 degrees. This is 10 degrees more than the cassette insert says, but no matter.

You must then input the wind strength from 0-5... or rather the wind "strength", which is that the screen actually says. The instructions then tell you to press the F key for flaps down, while the insert says the E key.

Now I don't know if I dislike flight simulators because I'm no good at them or if it's the other way round, but I do know that if I'm going to crash a plane then it ought to be for a legitimate reason.

Dragon Fly

Having attained maximum RPM and seen my altitude (or attitude) increase to seven feet I raised my undercarriage. Crash. "Undercarriage raised on ground." Oh well, seven feet is obviously too low, try again. Next attempt was at fourteen feet. Crash. "Undercarriage raised on ground." Taking no chances I then waited till I was over 80ft in the air. Crash.

Later attempts did manage to raise the undercarriage, though I don't know in what way they were different from previous efforts, but I do know that my 'attitude' meter was distinctly wonky. Even when leaving the ground at maximum revs of 3,000 as recommended, and the Up arrow being pressed to increase the rate of climb, the altitude would inexplicably and suddenly drop from 100ft to 50ft.

Verdict

My verdict is affected by simultaneously looking at Microdeal's Space Shuttle, published at the same time as this. Comparisons are inevitable, though in fact there is no comparison. Dragonfly bears as much resemblance to Microdeal's excellent program as Norwich airport bears to Cape Kennedy. No offence, Norwich.

Mike Gerrard

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