Producer: Durell
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £7.95
Language: Machine code

Combat Lynx is more of a simulation than a shoot em up, but it can certainly be played like a shoot em up (it has some ferocious battles) or as a game of stealthy strategy. It is also a fairly complicated program to get the hang of initially and comes complete with detailed instructions on the large inlay.

The Combat Lynx is a powerful, heavily armed helicopter, which you control in a game with 4 skill levels. As it says in the inlay, the most skilled players will be able to protect their bases with mines, support their forward bases under attack with air cover and fresh troops, and also intercept and destroy enemy vehicles (land and air) while in flight between bases. A game could last for five seconds or five hours depending on the dexterity and tactical skill of the player.

Depending on the chosen skill level there are between three and six bases which you must support with fresh troops and air cover. Base zero has an endless supply of fuel and weapons and can instantly revitalise injured troops brought in from other bases. The first task is to arm the helicopter. The screen shows plans of the Lynx in three dimensions, front, side and top. Below are the prompts which show you what is being selected, how much of it and its weight. This includes able-bodied soldiers, injured soldiers, weapons and fuel. The load is carefully calculated and shown against the maximum weight possible, and planning is required since you must be able to take on the necessary weight of fuel for the trip. Weapons include strafing rockets, cannon and machine gun pods, all of which just fire in the direction the helicopter points in; and then there are the HOT weapons which are wire guided anti-tank weapons; heat seeking anti-aircraft missiles which can be fired without aiming; and finally the mines, which can be deposited around base perimeters.

The playing screen is split up into four prime areas; a main display window in which you can see the lynx flying over the landscape and the positions of enemy vehicles, bases, etc.; a height above ground indicator: message text display; and the instrument panel which shows engine temperature, speed of flight and fuel, weapon status and selection, navigation co-ordinates in the form of a compass and map grid reference, missile launch warning and finally the score line. Switching to map alters the main display from the 3D view to the very large map area. This indicates contour heights, shows enemy positions and friendly bases, Lynx's present position and is broken into grids for ease of reference. The objects shown on the map are last intelligence report positions - they may move and can be seen moving on an update basis. When flying, the joystick/keyboard may be used to alter the altitude and direction of the helicopter, whilst in map mode the joystick controls the scrolling of the map. It can be speeded up to scan reference blocks, block by block by using direction and fire button together. In map mode all the other instruments function and can be seen.

The message screen flashes when there is a communication for you. This may be along the lines of a request for transport, reinforcements or air cover. This screen can also be used to discover the locations of the other bases.

The landscape view is in 3D using white contour lines on a green ground to create the effect. Trees and houses are also clearly seen in white as well as enemy vehicles (in black) and base markers. In effect Combat Lynx uses a four-camera position display, so on making a right angled turn the screen blacks out momentarily to be replaced by the new view angle. The helicopter can fly both forwards and backwards at speed and may be landed on flat ground with care.

Weapons are fired first by selecting the weapon system you wish to fire. Guided weapons may simply be fired; aimed weapons must be fired after selecting cursor control, whereupon a black cross sight will appear to show where the weapon is aimed. Only one weapon system at a time may be used without reselection.

The skill levels reflect the number of bases you have to support, the number of enemy vehicles and flying craft up against you and the accuracy of their missiles.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Cursors, but additionally there are a large amount of multi-use keys for control.
Joystick: cursor
Keyboard play: very responsive, and the other keys needed are kept to a minimum during flight or fight
Use of colour: very good, although kept simple on maps and view, just a few small attribute problems
Graphics: excellent and highly novel 3D
Sound: not very much for speed of graphics
Skill levels: 4
Lives: 3

I wondered when 3D graphics would be created with contour lines as on a map, and this seems to be the first action game to have done this to great effect. I feel that this type of 3D is more effective than an 'illusion' of 3D (i.e. things getting bigger or smaller). But it uses hidden objects like houses or enemies which cannot be seen when they're behind a hill. Such objects however, do grow or shrink in size as you approach and fly over them, using perspective properly. The 3D effect is not just randomly generated as you play through a game because the entire playing area is mapped and the contour (3D effect) references work from it. But for each game, a new landscape is created (very quickly too). The game itself is very difficult to play due to the speed of the enemy, although realistic, and due to the fact that you generally fly at full speed. This probably does mean that it has a great potential for a long term game. A nice point for beginners is that it is fun just to fly about and take pot-shots at things, although I didn't hit very many enemy craft! Overall, well worth its money just for sheer content.

Combat Lynx is both simulation and shoot em up games in one. The 3D effect created by using contour line graphics tends to give it a more technical feel, so more like a simulation, but on the other hand there are lots of jets and enemy helicopters whizzing around and ground forces shooting at you which gives the game its instant playability appeal. Once you get the hand of coping with everything, it's possible to play a game of high strategy which evolves not only arcade skills but those of forward planning. For people who enjoy strategical type games, Combat Lynx should provide hours and hours of fun, while for those who prefer something instant and fast - choose skill level 4 and hang onto your hats! Generally the graphics are most impressive, with a few attribute problems when objects are about to become hidden but these are minor in what is otherwise an engaging and challenging game.

The graphics in Combat Lynx are very good for a 3D simulation except it's a pity that you can't follow the landscape around when you turn through 90 degrees. This is very playable, but very hard to play and will give hours of enjoyment if you're willing to persevere with it. I think this is probably the best simulation I've seen to date. My only comment really, is that I think I would've liked it even more if you hadn't got the graphic of a helicopter in front of you, but instead saw the view as though you were in the cockpit. Overall, this is an excellent simulation.

OLDIES UNLIMITED

This month see the inimitable PHIL KING scouring through the CRASH back issues for that crucial information on all the rereleases between now and mid-November. Take it away Phil...

Combat Lynx
Producer: Encore
Price: £1.99
Original Rating: 88%

Designed with help from Westland Helicopters (the makers of the real Lynx), Combat Lynx originally appeared way back in November 1984 on the Durell label.

The player's helicopter has between three and six bases to land at, depending on the skill level chosen. After landing, the Lynx can be armed with a variety of lethal weapons such as HOT anti-tank weapons and heat-seeking anti-aircraft missiles. Also available are mines which can be laid to protect bases from attacking enemies.

Although Base Zero has an infinite stock of weapons and fuel, other bases only have a limited supply. Also as most bases are miles away from HQ, quickly mining around them is essential for their protection. If a base does come under attack a message appears in a small window, giving details of casualties etc.

For ease of locating both bases and enemies, a scrolling map screen can be called up, showing a contoured plan of the massive landscape (which is different for each new game). These contours are also present on the main 3-D view, helping to create a more effective illusion of solidity.

Combat Lynx is in no way a simple shoot-'em-up (even though it can be played that way), it involves much strategic planning to protect all the bases. For a game which can take many hours to play the lack of a save/ load function can be irritating, but the actual gameplay remains great. A game ahead of its time when it was released, it still looks pretty advanced even now.

BARGAIN BASEMENT

Skinto deluxe? Then rifle thought this month's cheapies with Marcus berkmann - you might find a bargain!

Encore
£1.99
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann

Yet another Durrell oldie released by Elite on its Encore label (got all that?), this helicopter simulation is another that's looking its age (1984), but still plays relatively smoothly. Trouble is. Combat Lynx has long been superseded by the likes of Gunship which, if you're into this sort of game, should be at the top of your shopping list. If you're not a multi-millionaire, though, Combat Lynx is a just-about acceptable alternative.

There are loads of things to do, but then this is a flightsim, and so suitable only for people with 23 fingers. Essentially you fizz around defending your bases from enemy attack (i.e. shooting things) before eventually dying horribly yourself. I remember this as being pretty hot four years ago, but now I find it very dry and uninteresting. Is it the game, or is it time? (It's you. Ed) Oh shut up.

Dave: Combat Lynx is a battle simulation program that has you flying your Lynx helicopter around a three-dimensional battlefield (which is randomly created for each game); you have to perform the dual function of destroying enemy forces and supplying your bases.

Controlling your helicopter can be a bit of a nightmare, because there are four command modes and some keys are used in more than one mode to perform different functions. Even allowing for this, there are nearly 30 control keys (most are re-definable) although any keyboard reading joystick can be used for five of them.

The screen shows your flight instruments and a rather peculiar view of your helicopter. It's strange because, although you can fly in any direction, the view of the landscape is always North, South, East or West, with the helicopter graphic turning through up to 45 degrees. When you turn far enough, the screen blacks out and re-draws with the landscape turned through 90 degrees. These factors neatly conspire to turn what is basically a very good game into a mess. 2/5 MISS

Ross: The representation of the hills and valleys is well performed and fast. 2/5 MISS

Roger: Sorry Colonel, but it ain't simulator material for hackers with Falklands Factor aspirations and it ain't simple enough for all us conscientious objectors still hiding in arcades. 2/5 MISS

BUBBLING UNDER...

And if you weren't stunned by the four previous YS Megagames I chose, here's six more worth looking at!

Encore
£1.99
Reviewer: David McCandless

3D unfolding landscape helicopter simulation game. Colourful, complex and compelling. Only for heli-buffs. First released: January '85.

WHIRLYBIRD WARFARE

Memory: 48K
Price: £8.95
Joystick: Any programmable

You may have experienced any number of flight simulation programs in which you take a single-seater bi-plane up into the wild blue yonder. Now for something completely different.

Combat Lynx, from Durrell, is not as tame as the programs from Psion or Protek. You can hover, dip and rise in a battle-worthy helicopter, bombing the enemy aircraft gliding like sitting ducks into the range-finder and which can be despatched quickly with an air-to-air missile or rapid fire from one of your machine guns.

Despite what you might be led to believe the game is about defence and not offence. You must defend three of six ground bases, making sure that the enemy does not get to them on foot or in the air.

Once you have equipped your machine with something from the choice of missiles and guns, using the educational schematic plans of the helicopter, you can start the game and launch into a combat zone represented in 3D. The helicopter representation is only adequate but the shifting hills and dales over which it flies give the necessary realism to what is a relatively true-to-life battle simulation.

The game is too much of a simulation. Beginners will find it difficult to get anything within their sights and flying the helicopter without an enemy to hound you will prove that Combat Lynx is for the dedicated performer who likes to impress friends with displays of dexterity at the keyboard. Arcade gamers might find it tedious because of the lack of immediate excitement. If, however, you are a level-headed player who likes to take time in developing skills Combat Lynx will pay off.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
CONTROL: Keys
FROM: Durell, £8.95

LYNX ZOOMS iNTO 3D ACTION

'Not another helicopter game' I hear you all cry. Cheer up, because this isn't just another chopper game.

In your Combat Lynx helicopter you must protect your army's land bases from the hostile ground attacks and yourself from the enemy's helicopters and jets.

You need to start by getting used to the numerous key controls of the game all of which can be redefined. Your copter starts at base zero which is one of three to six bases depending on the skill level. At base 0 you need to arm yourself with the weapon systems that the Lynx can carry.

This is done in a separate mode where the craft and systems are shown in marvellous detail. Once armed you can take off in search of hostiles and this is where the excellence of the program literally displays itself.

As you move across the attractive green scenery it undulates in hills and valleys, scrolling beneath you in stunning 3D. On this background appear houses, trees, ground vehicles and aircraft and the occasional crashed helicopter if you don't watch your height.

The area of land you can fly around is so large that you won't even find the edges of the map in a normal game. A larger area of the map can be viewed and shows any friendly or hostile force nearby and the contour of the land. You can also scroll around display to find the nearest enemy or base.

The instrument panel below the display provides information on the status of your craft and its weapons. This includes height, temperature, speed and status of each of six weapons. The weapon you wish to use is selected by moving a cursor above the one required. Also shown are various messages on the status of your bases and warnings of imminent missile attack.

Despite all this detail and information your task is a straightforward one and once familiarised with the controls you can buzz around the battle zone hunting down tanks, guns, lorries, helicopters and jets.

It still takes perseverance to get to grips with the program though, so the less determined may find it a hard game to get into. My initial doubts over the games playability were completely overcome - I now find rocketing tanks is a great pastime when you want to relax.

I wasn't too happy with the display on this game. The landscape is a bit repetitive and the targets you set out to destroy don't look all that impressive. However, it's hard to complain when you consider the enormous amount of programming that must have gone into providing 3D scrolling on a Spectrum, and the effect is certainly impressive.

I think that the scope of the game is tremendous, although it took me quite a time to get the hang of the controls. Normally with a game this difficult to play I would tend to give up in disgust, but the challenges you have to face were sufficient incentive for me to keep going. Definitely a game that needs - and rewards - practice.

STEVE COOKE

The view of the scrolling landscape is remarkable. It's done by drawing a series of lines against a green background and then moving them forward. The effect is of hills and valleys rolling toward you - quite different from anything achieved before.

Although it's not claimed to be a fully authentic flight simulator, the range of controls and weapons open to you do give it a realistic feel.

The scope of the game is as ambitious as the graphics. There's so much for the player to do - choose weapons, explore the landscape, use map coordinates, decide tactics, track down enemy targets. Some people won't be single-minded enough to ever get to grips with all this - or with the huge number of control keys - some 30 in all. If you don't like complex games steer well clear.

For those who've got the time to get involved, i think it'll prove very special.

CHRIS ANDERSON

Having unwrapped my bundle of tapes and glancing through, I thought that I would start off with the best of the bunch. Combat Lynx by Durell for the 48K Spectrum, comes in a smart plastic case, which is more like a video cassette case than a software box, with a battle picture on the front, which should attract the punters.

I was more attracted to the note on the back of the case. "£100 Reward", if my copy of the game did not have a blue plastic cassette body with the word 'DURELL' embossed on it. Well folks, I haven't moved so fast in all my life, but alas, my tape was not forgery and no £100. I think that this is a brilliant idea to beat software piracy, which is bringing some firms down under and I seriously hope that many other companies will follow suit.

Combat Lynx is described as an air-to-ground battle simulation game and is written in pure, 100% machine code. The manual reads '....probably the most comprehensive 'real time' battle simulation ever written' (does this remind you of a lager advert?).

The idea of the game is to protect your bases from being attacked by the enemy and also to stop yourself being blown-up in mid-air.

At the beginning of the game the user has the option to redefine they keys and save or load score and key definitions. The skill level then needs to be selected between one and four, with four being the hardest and with more bases to look after. Your base 0 has luckily got an endless supply of fuel, weapons and the magical touch of revitalising injured 'troops.

Enemy vehicles will slowly attack all your bases, unless stopped by allied vehicles or yourself. As all you supplies are at base '0', the enemy will eventually arrive there and completely wipe it out in one fell swoop, leaving you totally disarmed as weapon supplies an injured persons cannot be recuperated.

You control the helicopter, which at the start of the game is hovering above base 0 and by gently tapping the 'down' key, you land at Base 0 and are presented with a set of screens in order to select weapons and troops. Passing through the screens, personnel may be picked up, injured personnel dropped and various weapons collected. There are six types of weapons at your disposal, each having different technicalities. The more weapons and personnel that are carried the more fuel is automatically dropped as there is a maximum weight allowed on board.

There are mines, which can be strategically placed around your bases to prevent a land attack on them: there are heat-seeking missiles, wire-guided missiles and three unguided missiles.

The intelligence map is a map of the battlefield with the lower ground in different colour to the higher ground and all the bases and vehicles, both allied and enemy, are represented by symbols. It is advised that you do not blow up the allied vehicles as you will definitely need all the help that you can get.

At any time the co-ordinates of all bases can be found out, thus by using the map the general direction may be formed. The map is examined by using the cursor keys with North always pointing upwards.

As well as all this there is also a message screen. The informer of when your bases are under attack and also when they have been totally wiped out, as well as any other appropriate messages. Fuel, speed, temperature gauges and a compass are all present in order for you, the helicopter pilot, to survive and win this war.

The helicopter, seen from behind, is easily controlled although a flicking of the flight screen occurs when you turn more than 45 degrees in order to put you at the rear of the helicopter again. This can put you off at first, but in no way does it hinder your game as there isn't any delay in restoring the flight image. The weapons are fired first of all selecting the desired system, pressing the weapon's sight key, lining up the black cross and finally pressing the fire button. This process can be too long if the enemy is in sight, by the time this weaponry process has been affected, the enemy has disappeared. This is why I found the heat-seeking and wire-guided missiles most useful, as there is no real need to activate and line up the weapons sight.

An excellent game, which kept me (moderately) awake till the early hours of the morning, that can be enjoyed by all. You are placed in the centre of a real-time battle situation and are your own boss as to how you may win the battle.

The game is not for the very young or the elderly, but even if you come in the middle of the above range, I am sure that you will find this simulation no easy task; The icing on the cake I suppose was the sound, which can be turned off and on, and is as close as any micro can get to a realistic helicopter's noise.

So, all in all brilliant graphics, outstanding simulation - an excellent game.

(Where the ZXC Factor is a mark out of ten whether I would buy the game.)