Ace of Aces for Atari 8-bit computers | Review

March 09, 2010 • Updated: Mar 11, 2025 - 08:32 PM

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Aces of Aces (Accolade - 1987) puts us directly in command of a De Havilland Mosquito, one of the main fighter and bomber aircraft used by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) in World War II.

It is precisely this historical war theme that makes this unique flight simulator stand out from its peers. Your mission will be to stop enemy trains, intercept German V-1 bombs, sink German U-boats (Unterseeboot) and shoot down Nazi bombers. And if you complete all four missions in a single game - and manage to return to base - you could be decorated as a veteran "Ace of Aces" of World War II.

ACE OF ACES

Posted by:Accolade, 1987.
Gender:Fighter plane simulator.
Extra:1 player, joystick and keyboard.

PRACTICE MODES AND MISSIONS

The game starts with an evening meeting with the group captain. Here you will have the option to choose between the game modes.Practice(Practice) orMissions(Missions).

If you choose the first, the group captain will offer you three alternatives: Air Battle (Dog fight) where you must shoot down enemy ME 109 bombers; Train (Train) so you can practice bombing German locomotives; andU-boats, where you will have to cross the skies until theNorth Atlanticto destroy small German submarines.

Move the joystick forward or backward to choose your option and then press the fire button to start. You are then shown a series ofanimated screensthat simulate the takeoff of your Mosquito. If you wish, you can skip past them by pressing the trigger button.

In all practice missions, the aircraft will already be loaded with enough fuel and ammunition. In the case of Train and U-boats, you will even be positioned at the correct altitude to bomb them. Once you are done with the enemy, return to base. These practice missionsneverThey will let you accumulate more than2,000 points; so forget about entering the "Hall of Fame" from Ace of Aces from here.

The real high scores are achieved in the Missions mode. Here, your officer will give you four different options for attacking, but they can be selected all at once or in any combination you like:

V-1 rockets(V-1 Rockets): The enemy is launching V-1 bombs, accompanied by an unknown number of ME 109 aircraft.

Bombardier(Bomber): JU88 and ME 109 aircraft control the skies and attack randomly.

Train(Train): Intercept German trains transporting prisoners of war and resources to their concentration camps.

U-boats: Destroy the German submarines before they attack the Allied convoys.

Once you have chosen one or more of these missions, you will be shown aintelligence report, with a summary of relevant data such as weather conditions, at what altitude you should fly to intercept your targets, the recommended amount of ammunition and the best sequence to successfully complete the mission.

Finally, move the lever forward or backward to accept or reject the mission. In the second case, you will be able to change the alternatives. However, once the mission is accepted, you are shown yournavigation map

NAVIGATION MAP

As you can see, the map shows you themain cities in Europeand the positions of theenemybased on intelligence reports. We recommend that you check the map several times during the course of the game. You can access it by pressing the 4 key. Your plane is represented in green and will move around the map as the mission progresses. Some visible cities areParis, Munich, BerlinandAmsterdamBy the way, youbasereturn is located inLondon

1. Storm clouds
2. Allied Base (London)
3. Intercom
4. Enemy V-1 rockets
5. Enemy train. The fuchsia line is the railway
6. Enemy U-boats
7. Your plane
8. Light that illuminates the map (nice detail!)

During gameplay, you'll notice that targets flash on the map. Press the fire button to move to the cargo bay screen, where you can stock up on weapons and fuel.

AMMUNITION AND FUEL

As you can see, here you can choose between thebombs(1),rounds of bullets(2),rockets(3) andfuel tanks(4). Right next to each of these, you will find plus signs () and less (). Move the cursor to select one of those signs and press the button to either increase or decrease the quantity of each item. There is a maximum and it is important to take into account the intelligence report when choosing the quantity of weapons.

For air battles you should use ammunition and rockets, while bombs are used to attack targets on land (trains) and sea (U-boats). In any case, you should always stock up on the former in case of foreseeable attacks from enemy ships. If you take all four missions - which would lead you to try for the rank of Ace of Aces - it is important to load up on the latter.extra fuel

Once you have finished loading your weapons and fuel bay, move your cursor to the phrase "Done" (Complete) and press the fire button. You will be shown a series of takeoff screens (the photo sequence) and a new intro screen. Press the fire button on both to go directly to the mission.

FLIGHT VIEWS

While in the air, you have four views from which to carry out your attack. You can use the keyboard or joystick to access any of them.

Cockpit- press the key1or double press the fire button and move the joystick forward

Left wing(port) - press the key2or double press the fire button and move the joystick to the left

Right wing(starboard) - press the key3or double press the fire button and move the joystick to the right

Navigation map- press the key4or double press the fire button and move the joystick down

Weapons compartment- press the key5or press the trigger button twice

a. Cockpit

From the cockpit you look directly up at the skies or the cloud cover. Press the fire button to activate your cannons or rockets. Below is a breakdown of the elements on this screen:

Look(1): Allows you to place enemies to be shot down by your artillery.

Compass(2) : At the start it is facing south. Change the course by moving the joystick to the right or left. You will see a black line, which guides you to the next objective. When all the objectives have been destroyed, the black line will mark the course back to your base.

Intercom(3) : This is used to monitor the status of your aircraft and is displayed in all flight views. When a section of the ship lights up red, check it to see what the problem is. When the center of the aircraft lights up (in Train and U-boat missions) it means that targets are below you to bomb.

Speedometer(4): Tells you your flight speed in miles per hour. Adjust the readings with your throttle, elevator and ailerons in the left or right wing engine rooms.

Lever(5): It is the one that drives your ship.

Altimeter(6): The dial indicates your altitude in thousands of feet, relative to the fixed horizon.

Enemy altitude(7): Monitors and informs you of the height at which any nearby enemies are flying relative to your ship's altitude.

Radar(8): The dial will indicate the proximity and location of the enemy relative to your flight position.

Artificial horizon(9): Shows your altitude and the angle of your wings relative to a fixed horizon. To ascend, pull the stick; to descend, push it.

In the image, we see an enemy bomber (10) approaching.

b. Engine rooms

From the engine room you can control the speed of your plane, flight position and handle some emergencies. Move theindicator diamond(1) Pushing the stick to the right or left. Then, change the options by holding down the fire button and moving the joystick forward or backward.

Fire extinguisher(2): Move the lever to the left to activate the fire extinguisher on a burning engine. Once the fire is out, the engine will not operate until it is repaired at the base.

Fuel gauge(3): Check how much fuel you have available frequently. When a tank is empty, switch to the Weapons Bay view to take care of the problem.

Undercarriage(4): Keep this stick in the up position unless you want to slow down quickly - very useful for evading enemies. Particularly useful for slowing down when diving to evade enemies.

Ailerons(5): The ailerons are your brakes in the air. Move the stick down to brake but be careful because at high speeds, using it can damage the Mosquito.

Accelerator(6): Control the speed of your engine, measured in revolutions per minute (RPM) on theindicator(9). Move the lever up to increase the speed. The engine is overloaded if the gauge needle is in the red zone - i.e. above 6. Slow down immediately. If you cannot decelerate, the engine is on fire!

Elevator(7): Control the pitch of your propellers, measured in angles by theindicatorrespective (8). Move the lever up to increase the pitch. The lifter must be at the same level as the throttle for optimum fuel efficiency. If both are out of balance, the engine will overheat or flood.

Trim(10): Controls the tail rudder and determines the direction of flight. Very useful when one of our engines is out of service.

c. Weapons compartment

From here you can see how much ammunition, bombs, rockets and fuel tanks you have available for the rest of your mission. Move the lever to the right or left to position the diamond over the option you wish to activate. Then hold down the fire button and move the lever to the right or left to effect the changes.

- Pumps available (1)
- Bomb door (2)
- Fuel Tank Gauge (3): Throw empty tanks to improve your fuel usage. You can throw full tanks to get away quickly - make sure you have enough fuel to get back to base.
- Gate Open/Close Control (4): Opens the gates to allow you to target and bomb trains and U-Boats. When a target appears, the bombing sight (9) will appear. Move the lever until the target is in the crosshairs. Press the button to release the bombs.
- Ammunition/Rocket Selector (5): Select between rounds of bullets or rockets to take down your target.
- Rockets (6)
- Ammunition available (7),(8)
- Bombing sight (9)

By the way, themaximum allowedThey are: 12 bombs, 32 rockets, 13 rounds of bullets (equivalent to 125 shots) and 2 extra fuel tanks.

d. Status screen

At any time during the game, press thespace bar. You will be shown a color screengarnet, divided into two columns. In theleft column, you are shown thetotal scorereached, with a detail of the targets shot down or bombed.right, you are shown thedamaged equipmentby the enemy.

If you have returned to base, you will be shown a line at the bottom congratulating you. However, in most cases, this is the screen of theGame over. And in that same line, you are shown the reason why the game is over. Among them you have:plane on fire(plane on fire);crashed into the ground(starry);pilot shot(pilot riddled with bullets);flying too slow(flying too slow).

STRATEGIES

In the air

Navigation may seem confusing at first. However, achieving your goals comes down tocenter the black markin itflight compass. This will always guide you to the next objective and eventually back to base. If your compass is damaged, it spins out of control and the black guide line disappears... and this is where the trouble begins.

Enemy planes attack at random, in random numbers and without warning. You must shoot down the enemy before they shoot you down. And you better do it fast - remember, you're burning fuel.

The best way to attack is to locate the enemies early on the radar. Once you enter the range, your Mosquito's position will bewill freezein itmapnavigation. Then, use the altimeter on the right to get on their level. And finally, shoot them down when they are in full view on the main screen.

To shoot down V-1s and bombers, you can use rockets and/or bullet rounds. Bombs are reserved for trains and U-boats. V-1 rockets are slower than Nazi bombers. However, if you are too close when they explode, the shrapnel can damage your aircraft.

Usually, a single well-aimed shot will be enough to destroy an enemy aircraft or V-1.successive shots, holding down the fire button. However, it should be noted that ammunition is used up.

It is common for enemy aircraft to attack you in greater numbers once you have destroyed their trains or sunk their U-boats.

You can fly around avoiding enemies and moving towards the "real" objective of each mission; however, this will cause you to lose fuel.

Flying with all weapons and fuel loaded will require extra speed to be able to ascend. Therefore, your speed increases as you drop bombs and fuel tanks.

Trains

You must stop the trains with prisoners marching towards Berlin (Germany).Bomb onlyand only thosewagons with the swastika cross. Those cars with the symbol of theRed Crossthey carryallied soldierscaptured by the enemy, and destroying them will cost you points. You only get one chance to bomb the train, so try to be precise with your speed and altitude. The best attack position is at a thousand feet at 100 MPH.

Some train cars require two bombs (particularly if you didn't hit them directly on the bastic). Same with U-boats.

U-boats

Enemy U-boats are preparing to attack Allied vessels in the North Atlantic. Stop them before they launch their offensive. Once you have opened the hatches of your bomb bay, the enemies will detect you on their instruments and proceed to submerge. Once under water, they will not resurface for the rest of the mission.

OTHER DATA OF INTEREST

Some missions (such as the V-1) do not require bombs to be dropped, so carefully review the intelligence report at the start of the mission.

Constantly check your Intercom to identify problems and alerts. Your chances of survival are greater if you respond to emergencies promptly.

It doesn't matter the altitude when returning to base (there is no landing sequence; it would have been interesting as well as the takeoff, I think).

The explosions are pathetic. Enemy planes and V-1 bombs explode in the same way.

Heminimum scoreof5.220points makes it impossible to enter theHall of Famefrom Practice Mode.

It is possible to return to base for repairs and refueling - at least that's what the manual says.

A nice and realistic detail is thecloudsandstorm clouds; the latter can even damage your Mosquito with their lightning.

SCORE

Targets shot down withrockets (C)They give you double the score of those withrounds of bullets (B)

Destroy the enemy

V-1... 150 points (B) ... 300 points (C)
Bombardier... 100 points (B) ... 200 points (C)
U-boat... 250 points
Train car... 200 points
Locomotive... 500 points
Carriage with hostages-200 points

Complete a mission

Return to base... 2,000 points
Bombs intact... 50 points
Rockets intact... 50 points
Intact bullet rounds... 10 points
Fuel tank intact... 10 points

I would not like to close this manual - which, as you can imagine, has been a real labor - without first mentioning that during the Second World War, Mosquitos shot down 659 enemy aircraft and nearly half a thousand V-1 bombs. And I also share the mystery:Who the hell is Warren R. Barnes, whose name appears as the leader in theHall of Fame