STRIKE COMMANDER: THE OFFICIAL STRATEGY GUIDE AND FLIGHT SCHOOL

by Bruce Shelley
Published by Prima Publishing
Reviewed by Sir Launcelot du Lake

This guide is one of Prima's thicker books, coming in at 371 pages and covers all aspects of the Origin game, including Tactical Operations and the enhanced CD-ROM version. Author Bruce Shelley has penned a very comprehensive textbook on Strike Commander, pointing out what can be done within the limitations of the game compared to what can actually happen in real fighter combat. There are 15 chapters altogether and 5 appendixes, and although the text is lengthy (it really does read like an academic textbook), one does get a step-by-step insight into the inner workings of the game and the concepts of air combat in general.

The first three chapters give an overview of the indicators on the Heads- Up Display (HUD) and the basics and principles of flight. The HUD topics illustrate how to read and use the information displayed on the HUD. The different physical forces affecting flight like gravity, thrust, lift, and drag are also discussed, as well as some basic flight maneuvers like the barrel roll, split S, Immelman, loop, and yo-yo.

The next three chapters cover the interface of the game. This includes the various multifunction displays like the radar screens, the communication screen, the damage and weapons hardpoint displays. Shelley also discusses the various methods of finding your orientation in the air, including the use of the different camera views afforded by the game. The game options and configurations and their consequences are also covered in one chapter.

Chapters 7 to 12 delve into the heart of Strike Commander - combat. The different types of weapons available and their strengths and weaknesses against different targets are discussed. Entire chapters are devoted to air-to-air missile and air-to-air gun combat, and the appropriate use of the AIM-9, AIM-120, the Vulcan cannon, and even rockets (not recommended, of course) in dogfights. The nuances of strafing and bombing attacks against ground targets are also touched on in their own chapters, together with the tactics of making such attacks with the cannon, rockets, CCIP and CCRP runs, the Mk82, Mk20, and Durandal bombs. The last chapter in this series covers using smart weapons like the AGM-65D Maverick missile and the GBU-15 smart bomb.

The last three chapters cover advanced topics like taking off and landing, the latter being the bane of most armchair pilots. Advanced flying tactics like the break, early turn, yo-yo turn, pursuit yo-yo, and lag roll are described. Some hints and general advice on mission strategy are provided in the final chapter, including squadron management, wingman selection etc. The details of each mission in the Tactical Operations series are provided in an appendix and follow the same presentation format as the mission details found in the Strike Commander Playtesters' Guide published by Origin.

As a whole, the book is well written and all of the topics are covered in a logical sequence. It is designed so that the reader will master one particular aspect of flight or weapons system before going on to the next topic. The tables and diagrams are very useful and clearly illustrate important and sometimes hard to visualise concepts like target aspect angle, which is particularly important in air-to-air missile dogfighting. The screenshots, however, are a little too dark to be of much use when printed in black and white. This book is readily recommended to gamers who are about to embark on the Strike Commander adventure; for those who have already finished the game, it may still be a useful reference to add to the collection.

This review is Copyright (C) 1994 by Sir Launcelot du Lake for Game Bytes Magazine. All rights reserved.