Producer: US Gold
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £7.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Platinum Productions

You may have read the book, seen the film or made the Airfix model kit but have you actually re-enacted the mission on your Spectrum? No? Well now you can, courtesy of Sydney Development (design), US Gold (distribution) and Platinum Productions (conversion).

Dambusters puts you in full command of one of the Lancaster bombers used in the historic flights across Europe and into Germany, to stem the output of the German Steel Industry (and to kill a few people in the process). Not only do you have to play the part of the pilot in flying the plane, but the roles of gunner, bomb aimer, navigator and even engineer - all at once!

There are eight screens, one for every role, and each can be 'called up' at any time by pressing the corresponding key. You can also check your current score and status in the same manner. If any of the 'crew' are experiencing problems of any sort then their respective 'letter' flashes at the bottom of the screen to inform you of the fact. For example, a gunner under attack from an enemy aircraft would result in a flashing 'W', implying that you should change to Front Gunner immediately.

PILOT
As Pilot you are given an 'out of the cockpit' view and simply have to steer the plane and keep an eye on airspeed, altitude and heading with the instruments provided. All instrumentation can be displayed as either analogue (dials) or digital (numbers), depending on your bent.

FRONT/TAIL GUNNER
Both screens put you in control of twin 303 FN machine guns (sound pretty smart, eh?) and give you the task of shooting down any enemy planes and barrage balloons that prove a hindrance, or taking out any spotlights that would give away your position. The Front Gunner also doubles up as the Bomb Aimer. When you are approaching the dam a set of distancing sights appear on screen. These sights must be lined up with the two towers of the dam so that the correct distance between plane and dam can be determined so the bomb can be released accurately.

BOMB AIMER
Before the bomb can actually be dropped it must be 'readied' and the plane must be brought to the correct height and speed. Two spotlights underneath the plane need to be aligned to ensure that you are flying low enough, and this screen is for just that purpose.

NAVIGATOR
Although the Pilot steers the plane, the Navigator does have to point him in the right direction first. A six screen map of Europe is used to follow progress and to set the course for a dam (there are three to bomb). All military installations, airports, inhabited areas and industrial complexes are represented on the map by different coloured symbols and the size of the symbol determines the concentration and/or size of an installation.

FIRST/SECOND ENGINEER
There are two engineer screens, giving access to all main engine controls, landing gear and other relevant gauges etc. The first screen has a throttle, booster and fire extinguisher control for each of the four engines, with gauges to indicate their status. The second shows the fuel situation for the four engines and allows you to adjust the rudder trim and flaps and raise or lower the landing gear.

STATUS AND DAMAGE REPORT
This screen gives details on any flak hits you have incurred and the number of ME 110 fighters, searchlights and barrage balloons you have encountered and have actually 'taken out'. A summary of any damage to the plane is also given along with your current score.

Should you successfully get across Europe, conduct an approach and release the bomb you will be treated to a picture of the dam with comments on where you went wrong, if indeed you did.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q - Pilot, W - Front Gunner, E -Tail Gunner, R - Bomb Aimer, Y- First Engineer, U - Second Engineer, I - Status, Damage Report and Score, H - Pause, 1 - Down, O - Up, 8- Left, 0- Right, Bottom Row- Fire
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, Protek
Keyboard Play: responsive
Use of colour: poor
Graphics: detailed instruments, little else
Sound: average
Skill levels: three
Lives: one
Screens: eight

The main problem with Dambusters is its playability. The designers seem to have tried to produce a flight simulation with a game, but neither aspect is particularly brilliant. The simulation side of things is good, with enough controls but not much in the way of 'realism' - the feeling of flight is generated only by the detail inside the plane rather than from the external view, as the effect of the dots as a horizon is poor. This is unfortunate, as the gameplay is in fact the weaker element. There is little variety in things to shoot and avoid, and the appeal of the 'one crack' mission soon palls due to the fact that it takes time to fly across Europe to the dam, 'avoiding' flak, barrage balloons and fighters in the Process, only to become very frustrated and despondent when you miss. Still, Dambusters is a good try at something new but fails to work effectively because it tries to cram too much into too little.

US Gold's attempt to recreate Guy Gibson's famous dam bombing run has resulted in a cross between a simulator and an arcade game. It is difficult to react quickly to any enemy attack because of the need to switch screens to retaliate. When you start, controlling the plane can be a bit of a problem. The game kept telling me that 'turning and flying at low altitude are incompatible'. This meant my wing had been ripped off! The bombing run was the most difficult of all - you need to control several factors at once, all of them very easy to bodge up, Dambusters is quite enjoyable, though sometimes a little dull. Some more action would have improved it no end.

Dambusters is a brave attempt at a flight simulator/arcade game, the only trouble being that neither aspect of the game is particularly good. There are several really good options, like the facility to practice a bomb run, start in the air over the English Channel or take off from the ground, but the game itself is rather boring. I thought there would be a lot more enemy resistance to a raid which, if completed successfully, would be a major threat to German domination in Europe. The Lancaster is fairly easy to fly and apart from crashing into the ground there are no real problems in staying aloft. The only real tricky bit is actually passing over the dam and dropping the bomb on target. During this part of the game, aligning the Lancaster with the dam is very difficult and fiddly. This results in the whole thing becoming very tedious - reaching the darn is so easy but failing to drop the bomb successfully time after time becomes a bore.

Publisher: US Gold
Price: £9.95
Memory: 48K
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair, programmable

Your target is Germany's dam system, the object is to blow them out of the water. The result is the destruction of the military and industrial infrastructure of the German war machine.

Dam Busters is not just another flight simulation with added special effects. During the game you have to play the part of the pilot, front and rear gunners, bomb aimer, navigator and engineer. You must do all that while flying through enemy territory, continually lit by searchlights while being buffeted by flak.

You must guide the aircraft off the ground and head towards France and Germany. You will have to liaise with your engineer to make sure that the engine thrust is not to great. If it is the engines will catch fire.

As navigator you must use the maps to pinpoint your position and get the pilot to alter course if necessary. It may appear to be a simple job but you will also have to pilot the aircraft while looking for cities, industrial complexes or dams.

The front and tail gunners have similar jobs. When you get to an enemy complex you must take on their roles and fire at searchlights, balloons and enemy fighters. The pilot should be wary of flying too near towns even if your natural inclination as a gunner is to blow everything to bits.

If you do not keep a keen eye on your instruments you could stall, overheat, fly through enemy soil or end up swimming back to England.

Each crew member has a screen full of instruments which can be controlled by joystick or keyboard. You must look through all of them at regular intervals. The game is not, however, as impossible as it seems. The controls are touch sensitive and the aircraft is easy to fly. Attacks from enemy guns and the glare of the searchlights can be handled quickly if you even have only a few flying hours' experience.

When you have found a dam your approach should be carefully timed. You must have developed the ability to be at 232 mph, have an altitude of 60 feet and be exactly 800 yards from the dam when you drop the bomb. The practice approach available should increase your skill.

Dam Busters is excellent three-in-one entertainment which can be recommended to anyone. Arcade, strategy and simulation addicts will find all they require is just the push of a fire button away.

If you don't want to risk your luck in the air you could always go for the Lancaster kit offer from Airfix, included with the package.

Label: Power House
Author: Sydney Development Corporation
Price: £1.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Tony Dillon

Don't get me wrong. By all accounts The Dambusters was a very good film, it's just that I don''t think it's the perfect choice of film to licence.

In Dambusters, the game, you play the pilot in that historical bombing run with the infamous bouncing bomb. And the front gunner. And the rear gunner. And the navigator. And the (OK Tony, we get the picture - GT). You have a variety of screens to look at, each concerning different parts of the plane.

The game is hard. I'm glad to say, I'm happy about that. I hate games that are walkovers, but to be honest, this is something different. The screens have warning systems, so you do know when to look at them, but they do have a tendency to all go off at the same time. Frustrating but true. Add to that the poor sound and the lame playability, DB doesn't add up to much.

MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: US Gold
PRICE: £7.95

The Dambusters, the well known film classic depicting the bombing raid on the dams in the German Ruhr Valley by the heroic 617 Squadron, is now a computer game.

In the game you take on the roles of navigator, rear and front gunner and the bouncing bomb dropper all at the same time. Which, as soon as you reach hostile airspace over Europe turns into a chaotic battle just to keep your aircraft in the air - all thoughts of actually successfully bombing the dams leaves your mind completely. Controlling the plane with enemy planes zooming in from all directions and gun emplacements trying to blast you out of the sky is quite enough to contend with.

The pilot's controls are quite complex and need thorough use to get you accustomed to using them during the game. Though, for the most part, I left the more "serious controls" alone.

There are three levels of play. The first involves you manoeuvring your aircraft across a runway and taking-off. The second starts the game with you at the controls of the plane flying over the English Channel. The third places you over the Ruhr Valley on a practice bombing-run without enemy fire to distract your concentration.

Dambusters is basically a shoot'em-up and not a flight simulator. Though that is no disgrace and the game is well worth buying.

US Gold/Datasoft
£9.95

This is a complex mix of strategy, simulation and arcade games and, surprisingly, it works. It is a very complicated game and will challenge even the most experienced player.

You are in charge of a RAF Lancaster Bomber of 617 Squadron and your mission is to destroy one of three dams, the Moehne, the Eder or the Scorpe. From the main menu you have a large selection of options; three skill levels, readout mode (digital or analogue) and the starting mode; Practice, In Flight, Take Off.

Each member of the flight crew is you! You switch from one display to another performing the tasks of Pilot, Tail Gunner, Bomb Aimer, Navigator, First Engineer, Second Engineer and finally checking on your status, damage and score.

I ran the game several times to get a look at the screens and found them interesting but in the main rather confusing. This was due to the fact that the preproduction version of the program supplied to us came without the "comprehensive flight instructions, maps and documents" that are sold with the program. {We did receive a full production version of the game, but it arrived too late to alter the review - Ed).

With a game of this complexity all I could do was get an overall impression, and that impression was very favourable.

Taking control of a Lancaster bomber, you must become the pilot, navigator, bomb aimer and flight engineer. If there is any trouble from enemy aircraft or guns on the ground, you must also become the front and rear gunners.

Taking your aircraft in over Europe you must find the dams and destroy them. Maps are provided for the navigator and instrument panels for the engineer.

For the pilot and gunners the arcade action sequences provide the action. Searchlights cross your path, barrage balloons hamper flight and enemy craft come in for the kill. Even if you do not make it to one dam the excitement of the flight should be enough.