RICHARD
WILCOX 1 PLAYER
Blue Thunder is a helicopter rescue
mission similar to Choplifter but if you have not seen that game or
could not afford it you can get similar enjoyment from Blue Thunder for
just £9.95. Your mission is to rescue your comrades from a remote
island whilst avoiding hazards such as ground and sea based missiles,
armoured barrage balloons and electric storms. Your jetcopter is armed
and can destroy the nuclear reactor besides which your comrades are held
captive but not the gun emplacements which you must pass. The best
feature of the game is the control of the helicopter which is quite
realistic (a fact confirmed by a reader in the RAF!) and is fairly
complex to master. The joystick controls the direction of the helicopter
in the normal left, right, up and down motion but with the trigger
pressed, the helicopter can be turned. A medium press will turn through
90° and a long press through 180°. As the trigger is also
used to fire missiles (via a short press) it can take some time to
master the controls. The helicopter banks as it turns and heads away and
looks very good. The background graphics are of reasonable standard and
the game scrolls over six screens. In the short time available for
review I was not able to rescue anybody so there would appear to be some
challenge to the game which should keep you occupied for many hours.
Blue Thunder is not a fast paced game but requires plenty of control and
is a worthy addition to your collection.
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