Review by Mark Arnott

Game:         AH64D Longbow 
by:           Janes Combat Simulations 
Publisher:    Electronic Arts
Format:       CD
Available:    Now

Requires:

O/S:          Dos 5.0+
Processor:    486/DX2-66+
RAM:          8Mb+  (16 MB for Win' 95)
Graphics:     SVGA
CD-Rom:       X2
Soundcard:    All major cards supported

Tested on:

O/S:          DOS 6.22
Processor:    Pentium 100MHz
RAM:          24Mb
Graphics:     SVGA 1Mb
CD-ROM:       Quad speed
Soundcard:    Soundblaster 16
Controls:     Keyboard  and  joystick

Janes AH-64D Longbow

I can hear you groaning "Oh no, yet another Helicopter Simulator". Well that was my thinking when I saw this release, but now I have a different opinion...

I must first warn you that to get the most out of this Simulation a Pentium is definitely recommended, and if only 8MB of RAM is available the sky and helicopter detail is not displayed. Supplied with the two CD's is a very comprehensive manual consisting of 256 pages, a 32 page install guide and a good keyboard reference guide. The install program asks for 100MB of hard-drive space although only 70MB of data was put on mine (I think if high detail terrain is selected 100MB would be used). In addition to the main program on the CD's there is also a Jane's reference manual that can be viewed from within the game and is a nice extra.

After the installation has had a good munch on your precious data space you can get into the Sim and set-up your preferences. The options menu is very comprehensive, giving you the ability to alter just about anything. The graphics options allow changes to screen resolution 320x240 or 640x480, gamma correction, detail low/med/high or custom, mesh detail which changes the polygonal complexity of the terrain, sky and helicopter detail, shadows, dithering, SFX, perspective, so you see that it really can be finely tuned to suit your PC. I was pleased to see a facility to re-map keyboard and joystick commands, and it was particularly useful to re-assign the radio messages, which were an ALT plus number key, to just single number key press. There are three settings for enemy ability, and for flight model simple, advanced, expert and custom are available.

The Sim starts by showing an animation of some AH64's attacking a tank convoy. I would normally ESC straight out of this but it is so well done that I did not disable it until a week after I had installed the game. After the intro you are presented with an aerial view of an airbase, and when you move the cursor over certain buildings a hot-spot shows what you will get if you left click the mouse. I would recommend to anyone that the first choice be training/tutorial, even if you know how to fly choppers some practise will be needed to use the weapons and radar systems effectively. The training is the best that I've ever seen in a Sim and is well worth a look even if you know it all. The areas covered are a walk-around the AH-64D, instrumentation, basic flight, navigation, countermeasures, sensors and weapon systems, ending with strategy and tactics.

So, now that you've completed training and been told by the flight instructor that you are no good in a hover at 250 ft, you can select single missions or a campaign. The single mission will let you fly one of over 200 random missions. If you elect for campaign an FMV mixed with animation news clip is shown to give an overview of the situation. When that has played you are presented with the inside of a tent at your FARP (Forward Arming and Refuelling Point), and from here mission maps and briefings can be viewed and your helicopter armed. In the mission map waypoints can be added and moved, apart from the primary target. Weapons are selected from a stock of Hellfire laser or radar missiles, or rockets. During a mission FARP's can be visited to re-arm or re-fuel. In addition to missiles and rockets there is a 30mm cannon which has a high rate of fire, and if you're real nasty, the TADS can pick out single soldiers and deal them the required amount of lead (as seen in Desert Storm).

The real AH-64 Longbow uses it's mast mounted radar to select targets whilst sitting behind hills or woods, and this same tactic is used in the game. Along with your wingman, the target area is approached at very low level to avoid detection, and at about 5km from the target a suitable hill is found to lurk behind and you slowly increase altitude until the TADS (Target Acquisition and Designation System) can get a good lock on a target. The weapons can be fired from your own ship or the wingman can be told to attack your target by radio message, or you can call in an airstrike or artillery bombardment of the selected target. This is a brilliant feature which comes in handy if you're low on ammo. If calling in air support you must ensure that any SAM or AAA sites have been dealt with or they WILL shoot down your fellow aviators.

In the cockpit there are two MFD's (Multi Function Displays), these can be selected to display information on Radar, SAM/AAA threats (ECM), damage, stores, TADS sight and engine status. When in combat flight I found it hard work to fly at low level whilst monitoring the ECM and watching the TADS info screens, here it would be nice to see a facility to link up with another PC so that the Flying could be done by one, and target selection and weapons firing could be controlled by the man in the virtual back seat. Sadly there are no link up options available.

The flight model behaves very realistically and the general "feel" of the Sim is good all round. It is advantageous to have two joysticks connected so that one is used for collective control (pitch and bank) and the other for cyclic control (up and down). It is probable that you will see the animation that plays after being shot down, once again this is very well done. Sometimes FMV and animation does not fare well in this sort of genre, but I'm sure that anyone who sees it will not disagree that it does actually fit in well with the game.

In my opinion this is the best of the Heli Sims so far, but I've not seen Digital Integrations "Hind" yet, which looks promising. Be prepared to read the manual, and for newcomers to flight sims this is an ideal place to start because the training is so comprehensive. This one will be staying on my PC for some time. I like it!

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Rating: 8/10 (Recommended!)
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Second Opinion by Dale Wilks

Big choppers, eh? Fnar. Sorry, I had to get that one in somewhere. Ahem. Anyway, Longbow is to helicopters what EF2000 is to flight sims. Big, ultra-realistic, superb graphics and sound, and to get the best out of it you`ll need a ninja PC, the main difference being that Longbow isn`t ridiculously hard. Oh, plus the fact that you`re flying a death machine which requires a Phd in computer science just to use all the weapons and radar systems. Not to worry though - there`s a brilliant series of training missions, which you`re talked through by a Texan flight instructor. The manual is great too; of biblical proportions, but! It`s spiral bound - hurrah! At last, a manual that stays open on any page you want it to!

This is a game to impress your mates with - the fact that it comes on two CDs tells you that you`re in for quite a ride, and indeed you are. The presentation is faultless; more FMV and rendered animation than you can shake a stick at, including some really neat sequences made by McDonnell Douglas themselves, which I thought sounded a bit like car adverts. You know, The Apache attack helicopter - Big guns, huge missiles, and state-of-the-art target acquisition systems! Buy one today!, that sorta thing. The game is totally configurable, so if you`ve only got a P90 then you can disable some features, to keep the speed up.

Flying helicopters always seems a lot more fun, as unlike an aeroplane a helicopter doesn`t have to perpetually fly forwards. This allows a lot of scope for hiding-behind-hills-and-popping-up-to-launch-missiles tactics, which are in fact recommended by your instructor. Required too, as on the hardest level you can`t afford to stay out in the open too long for fear of a sidewinder up your exhaust.

Brilliant game.

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Rating: 8/10 (Recommended!)
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