Producer: Activision
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £7.99
Language: Machine code
Author: Steve Kitchen

This is the first program for the Spectrum which can be said to be a real simulation of a Space Shuttle flight. This is the 101st mission and you are at the helm of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Your target, approximately 210 nautical miles above the earth's surface, is an orbiting satellite with an intentionally programmed gyroscope problem. The more times you dock with the satellite, the worse the problem will become.

A flight consists of three separate parts, Launch, Docking and Rendezvous and Re-entry and Landing. The mission may be undertaken in three ways. Flight one is effectively a demo, and unless you touch a control key, the computer will do all the work. Flight two is a simulator mode, where you control the flight but no fuel is used and the onboard computer assists you. Flight three is the real thing.

The screen display shows a view out of the viewscreen as well as instrumentation. Below the viewscreen are two bars marked T and C. These indicate the engine thrust being used. C is the computer and the pilot matches its arrow with the T arrow, using the thrust button. Additionally, during all three phases, directional controls must be used to correct the shuttle's attitude and direction. In the lower centre is a message display area and display screen which shows trajectory during launch, ground tracking screen during orbit stabilisation, docking screen when within satellite range and the re-entry screen when returning to earth. Once through the atmosphere the screen switches to an ILS display for landing.

This actually puts the whole thing very simply. Accompanying the program is a highly detailed booklet with illustrations of how the various screens are used. There is also an overlay for the keyboard as a number of controls are required. The visual display includes the sky during take off, gradually darkening into space with moving stars, a 3D representation of the satellite, the intense heat of re-entry, and a 3D representation of the ground and runway during landing.

The American programmer, Steve Kitchen, is described as a master software designer, engineer and inventor who was involved in the development of digital watches and the first handheld electronic games. He claims that the simulation in this program is very true to life.

COMMENTS

Control keys: 17 keys are required, used with an overlay. These are well grouped for their tasks, but launch can be a bit of a handful
Joystick: the instruction booklet says a joystick may be used, but nowhere does it state compatibility - the direction keys are G/H left/right and Y/B up/down
Keyboard play: responsive, although for some of the time, speed isn't the essential factor
Use of colour: quite varied and generally well used
Graphics: Generally smooth, detailed and large, with reasonably effective 3D
Sound: not much. Some times a warning horn if something is going wrong, but overall none of it is very loud or effective
Skill levels: 3, but each mission gets harder
Lives: N/A
Screens: 4 instrument screens, and three basic viewscreen modes

This is the first really decent space simulation, because there is a lot to do, and it requires much expertise to successfully control the shuttle through the various phases. As a result, it feels realistic. This is backed up by the very comprehensive booklet, which is full of technical terms and includes a glossary in case you do not understand them. Graphically, everything works very well, with large and smoothly executed pictures, although I got the feeling that it lacks something in atmosphere. However, the detail is all there, from the juddering clouds during the vibration of take off to the violent flashing of heat as the nose tiles burn off during re-entry. The various tracking screens, apart from being essential, are well laid out, very detailed and, perhaps most importantly, they are clear and easy to see. The one real cheat you discover is when, after looking at the demo of a launch, you take the controls yourself and have a go at keeping the thrust indicator up with the computer indicator. In demo, the computer manages this as though the two were tied by a strap of steel, but when you try it, the steel turns to a very flabby elastic band! Space Shuttle is a reasonably sophisticated simulation much along the lines of Flight Simulation and should appeal to all those who enjoy such taxing programs. But beware - read the booklet thoroughly before attempting the first flight, otherwise you may be put off because the slightest deviation from the pre-determined flight plan will cause an abort of mission.

Label: Firebird
Author: Activision
Price: £1.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

Now that the NASA shuttle programme is in the doldrums, Firebird's budget simulation may be the closest you'll get to seeing some space exploration on the small screen.

Space Shuttle is a fairly straightforward simulation, originally an Activision full-price title. Your aim is to rendezvous with an erratically-orbiting satellite (try saying that after a pint of booster fuel), and return to each as many times as you can before your supplies run out. Graphics are uncluttered, with a through-the-cockpit view and control displays which change according to mission phase.

Demo, automatic, and full mission modes give you the chance to practise before the big day, and a selection of propulsion options and telemetry displays add to the realism. The real difference between Space Shuttle and any other flight simulator is the contrast it gives between pure space navigation and the business of making a desert landing in heavy crosswinds. If you missed this one first time around, check it out now.

Activision
Spectrum 48K
£9.99

A simulation game based on the American space shuttle which takes you from launch site to outer space and back. The object is to retrieve satellites which have become unstable and return them to Earth, making as many flights as possible on a set amount of fuel.

The tape comes with a very comprehensive instruction manual which looks as if it's come directly from NASA. I locked myself in the loo and studied it for an hour or two (the book of course, not the loo).

"WOW", I thought to myself, "This really looks exciting", just about everything has gone into this game. I rushed to the computer, loaded the tape and ran the demo.

Well I have to admit (in disagreement with the Ed) that I found the graphics rather boring. It's not that they are badly drawn, but the instrument panel is rather sparse and visually there is not a lot to see.

The top half of the screen is taken up with the window of the shuttle and the lower half is the instrument panel, this consists of two sliding scales, one with a thrust indicator on it which shoots up and down, and another which you control. The idea is to match your indicator with the thrust one in order to achieve maximum fuel economy. Below that is a small screen which gives you data reports such as altitude, count down time, fuel, position and docking. Another small screen shows your trajectory path for take-off and docking.

At the bottom left & right is a front view of the shuttle which graphically shows you when your wheels are down and if the cargo doors are open or shut.

After you have checked through the controls you are ready for launch and at T minus 15 seconds you activate the main engines. At -004 you ignite the engine and wait till the hold-down bolts release and you blast into space.

One of the effects I did like was the vibration of the screen at lift off and the way the clouds seen through the window suddenly disappear. As the shuttle takes off you have to steer it via the joystick on its trajectory path. When at 210 miles you have to shut off the engines and open the cargo doors to dissipate heat. Through the window you see the earth below, which is a series of lines constantly moving to give a global effect. Using the tracking screen you have to find the satellite and dock with it.

At this point I was hoping to see the cargo bay and a controlled arm come out and retrieve the satellite, but not so. Once docked with it, it just seems to leap aboard. Now, you have to leave orbit and attempt re-entry. As you enter the Earth's atmosphere you start to burn, and the effect in the window as the heat builds up is astounding, (the instruments go haywire as there is build up of ions).

Once below the clouds you see the landing strip and you need to go through the landing sequence to bring it down. You will find your fingers are constantly in use as you fire primary engines, keep the shuttle on course as it turns On three axes and go through each sequence with absolute precision.

To sum up, I thought the graphics a bit of a let-down but a hard and accurate game to play. With some flight simulation games, after an hour of use, you really feel that you have flown a plane, but I didn't get the same feeling with this one. May I suggest that if you are interested in this one try and see the demo before you buy it, but, as I said, the Editor liked it.