Previous Next

Looking nothing like the Rolling Stones record of almost the same name, Flight Zero-One-Five is an above-average flight simulator for the unexpanded Vic 20.

As you may well guess, your aim is to control a plane from take-off to landing again, watching out for air turbulence inbetween.

The extremely helpful instruction sheet supplied with the cassette gives detailed advice on how to control everything, so without further ado it's over to the Sopwith Camel, on with the flying helmet and chocks away.

The one and only screen display that you get throughout the game has a maze of information on it, but after a few experimental flights you eventually get to know what everything is doing. Among the many things to look at and get yourself confused by while playing the game are the air-speed, range, artificial horizon, course indicator, radar screen, fuel level, revolution counter, and much more.

The display itself, despite having all this to look at, is quite clear, and unlike many Vic programs someone appears to have thought about the colours that will be used to show vital information on the screen.

The control keys are many and varied, and you'll have to constantly refer to the instruction sheet provided in order to remember them all. Eleven keys are used in total, including the four function keys, and although one could argue with the choice of some of them they're all easy enough to remember in times of panic. It's not meant to be easy.

The use of graphics is pretty perfunctory as most of the information shown on the screen is purely textual. The sound is rather better, and the sound of the aircraft racing along the runway prior to takeoff has been done well.

Overall it is not difficult to master once you can remember where all the control keys are. Indeed, the instruction sheet guides you through your first flight, so it becomes merely a question of doing everything at the right time. You are told what went wrong if disaster does occur, as it inevitably will at first, but you shouldn't have any major problems in landing safely after the first five or six attempts.

Clearly a lot of thought has gone into this, and it manages to pack an awful lot into the limiting 3.5K of the unexpanded Vic.

If flight simulators are your thing, then simulate yourself a few quid and buy a copy.