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SPACE
SHUTTLE
Activision, £10.99 cass, £19.99
disk
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The
packaging that comes with this simulator is very impressive,
the instructions being in a sort of flight manual booklet.
These instructions, although comprehensive, have a short
precis at the bottom of each page for those who aren't
too keen on bulky reading.
Also
included in the package is an informative booklet about
the actual Space Shuttle itself, written by a real Shuttle
pilot.
The
simulation has three settings; a demo mode, shorter
(mainly computer controlled) flight, and a fully-fledged
manually controlled flight mission.
The
idea of the simulator is, starting on the launch pad,
to blast into space and dock with a satellite, fix it,
return to earth safely and land. When you start the
simulation you have a view-through-the-cockpit, the
only trouble is all you can see are clouds. This is
because you're pointing straight up in the air! To start,
initiate the countdown and start the rockets and boosters
at the correct time to blast off. If you do that correctly,
there's a minute's wait until you get into orbit --
a really good series of effects which add a lot of realism
to the game.
Once
you're in orbit you've got the difficult task of locating
the satellite and getting into the same orbit as it
is using. Once you have done that, then you can open
up the cargo bay doors and bring it in. Coming down
from orbit to earth is a tricky operation and requires
much skill to stop the shuttle from burning up.
Overall,
this is a very classy and much underrated flight simulator
that provides a great deal of challenge, excitement
and realism. It's definitely the best shuttle sim on
the market and one which deserved a lot more credit
and coverage than it received!
Graphics
87%
Interaction 86%
Authenticity 88%
Overall 87%
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