~F117 Stealth Fighter

Reviewed by Neil Hopkins

Many years ago (well, four to be precise) I remember playing F-19 on 
what was then a state of the art PC (a 286 with CGA graphics) and I 
was completely absorbed. I promised myself, that when I finally got 
a PC of my own, that this was a game that I would buy myself.

Well, I never did get F-19, but the enhanced revision with souped up
graphics and more scenarios is now available as a budget title for
around 15 pounds or so, and well worth a look.

The game is a flight sim, based on the well known (at least since
the Desert Storm TV coverage!) F117 Stealth Fighter. There is
actually a choice of planes to fly - the official version only has
two weapon bays and no cannon, so it is worth sacrificing realism
for playability and going for the souped up Microprose version with
somewhat more firepower.

The game starts with a so-so cut sequence, and then you meet the 
copy protection, which is actually quite irritating. You have to 
identify a plane from an outline silhouette, but due to the nature 
of modern aerodynamics they are all very similar and sometimes hard 
to differentiate.  Still, I suppose it is more atmospheric than the 
usual type a word from the manual routine.

Once past the protection, you can select a pilot from a roster or 
set up a new pilot by deleting an old one. You have various options 
for difficulty such as the the enemy skill level from green to 
veteran, and the realism of the landings from no crashes through to 
realistic (bloody difficult!).

In the briefing room you can choose a theatre of operations from 
several middle east scenarios (including Desert Storm), Europe,
Cuba, Vietnam, Kola Peninsular and Korea each of varying difficulty. 
You have the option of cold war (don't let them see you), limited 
war (shoot them if they see you) or full blown conventional war
(what the hell, shoot everything in sight!). You can choose an
air-to-air mission against an aerial target, or a strike mission 
where you can bomb something, and you have the option of having a 
training mission where you can't be shot down.

A mission is then generated randomly, which may range from 
photographic recon of a particular site, sinking a destroyer, 
bombing a bridge to dropping a laser guided bomb into a command 
bunker in Baghdad. Suitable Weaponry is suggested, although this can 
be changed. Assuming that you accept the mission, it is off into the 
wide purple yonder to blow things up in the name of democracy and 
cheap oil. 

It seems when reading the reviews of most flight sims that the 
primary concern of all virtual couch potato fighter jocks is the 
graphics. So, how does F117 stand up to the likes of TFX and Strike 
Command? Well, not bad considering that it runs smoothly on slower 
machines. The cockpit is slightly garish, and the day-time graphics 
are OK, but the game really scores in the night missions. The skies 
are a lovely graduated range of dark purples, the ground is picked 
out with illuminated towns and villages, and the oil rigs even have 
little flickering flames coming out of the top. The ground is 
generally flat, apart from somewhat angular mountains, but you get a 
good sense of swooping low over a night-time battlefield. There is 
the usual range of views, and it is good fun to switch to the 
inverse tactical view after you launch a missile at a ground target. 
If you time it right, you will see the missile slam home from the 
target's viewpoint and then see your plane zoom overhead through the 
smoke. Very satisfying!

The sound card support is restricted to Adlib and Roland, but as 
long as your card emulates one of these you should be OK. The sound 
is functional, rather than spectacular. There is no in-game music, 
which may be a bonus depending on your preferences! The missile and 
radar warnings are clear and distinct, and there are a couple of 
bits of sampled speech that add to the atmosphere. 

As for the gameplay, this is my sort of game. You have to sit down 
and plan how you are going to pick your way through the interlocking 
radar sites, avoid contact with the enemy until you reach your 
primary target, and then let fly with a devastating array of missiles.
There is a real tension developed when the enemy manages to get a 
radar lock and starts throwing SAMS at you, or when you are limping 
back to base in a crippled plane with barely any fuel left and a 
couple of enemy fighters on your tail. The negative points are that 
some missions, particularly over the Kola peninsular can take a long 
time, even if you speed up the game time. So, be prepared to stick 
the plane on autopilot, and wait a couple of minutes to get to the 
action.  The other drawback is that the key layout is confusing and 
awkward, and takes a bit of learning. Some functions are difficult 
to reach quickly, particular on landing when you have to hit 0 for 
the brakes and then Shift - to cut the power.  Once or twice I have 
fumbled the keys and ended up switching to full power instead! The 
manual is adequate, but misses some sections from the original, such 
as the table for the effectiveness of each of the various munitions 
against each type of target. One drawback of a budget release, I 
suppose. One minor bug that I have discovered is that friendly 
planes do not show up on the scanner in blue as they should do, so 
in one game I thought that my aircraft carrier was being attacked 
and accidentally shot down an F18! (Un)friendly fire, or what!

In conclusion, this game is recommended for flight sim fans looking 
for a good budget release to run on a slower machine. Another plus 
point is that the entire game takes up just under 2MB, so it is 
ideal for leaving installed on your disk for a quick 20 minute blast 
in between sessions on bigger games.