~TL ~BT27 @C@EBlack Knight SE: Flying With Realism! @C@BA Capsule Review by Michael E. Callahan @EBlack Knight:Marine Strike Fighter SE@E, new from FormGen, is a spectacular F/A-18 flight simulator game with features not found in other simulators. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, you'll have blast with Black Knight SE. Spectacular graphics, dynamic sound effects, a unique scoring system, and unsurpassed avionics, make this game a lot of fun to play. I've always been a big fan of flight simulators and I'm really impressed and excited by the wonderful realism of Black Knight SE. I think you will be too! @BA Game For Everyone@B For the novice there is a "Beginner Mode" that gives you features like invul- neribility, unlimited ammo, no blackouts, and complete help. Dialog boxes will coach you every step of the way. More experienced pilots can turn these feat- ures off. The game also has a set of training missions to help you get acquainted with the weaponry, takeoffs, landings, and more. So, unlike some other flight simulators, @EBlack Knight SE@E is designed to be playable by players with less experience and not just flight simulator veterans. A nice feature! @BImpressive Gameplay and Features@B The graphics and sounds are impressive! Fly through valleys, along rivers, or over mountains that are 8,000 feet high! @EBlack Knight SE@E has impressive ground detail with detailed buildings, cars, trucks, tanks, roads, lights, and more. It's fascinating just looking at the detail in the scenery around you. The sound effects and voices are equally impressive. Hear the voices from the control tower, your wingmen, the flight instructor, and more. Listen to the sound of your engines, your gear going down, your wheels hitting the runway, or a missle being launched. Many of the sounds are true recordings and not generated by computer. When you hear a jet fly by, for example, it is the sound of a genuine Black Knight F/A-18! The game lets you create four pilots for flying missions. @EBlack Knight SE@E also has a novel scoring system that makes this game fun to play. Missions can be flown in any order so you don't get hung up trying to get past one difficult mission. The scoring system rates your effectiveness as a combat pilot. It does this by calculating not only the value of the targets you hit, but the value of the ordinance you use as well. For each of your pilots it provides stats like best mission, total score, number of air kills, number of ground kills, and more. You'll fly missions at night, in the morning, at noon, and all other times of the day. In addition, you'll fly through cloud cover, rain, sunshine, and fog. The combination of great graphics and realistic weather give you a view that is spectacular to say the least. The combat is also very realistic -- with alarms, weapon sound effects, and more. The shareware ver- sion has 5 combat missions, which is more than enough to keep you busy for some time. The registered version also has a "Missle View" that is really slick! With this option on, when you fire a missile you get a view from right behind the missile and follow it in until it impacts with the target. @BUnique Cooperation Adds To Realism@B The superb fidelity of the cockpit electronics is due, in part, to the cooper- ation of the actual Black Knights squadron in Mirimar, California. The unit was particularly helpful in helping the programmers understand the vital role that Marine Tactical Air units serve in the modern battlefield. The Black Knight's suggestions and feedback on the game, as it was developed, helped make the game the next best thing to a real F/A-18. In addition, representa- tives of FormGen spent time with the Black Knights at their base in Mirimar, California, learning about the F/A-18. You can see the results of all this in the unparalleled realism of @EBlack Knight SE@E. All of the avionics are as true-to-life as they can be, from the DDI displays to the ILS system. This is flying at its best! @BRegistration Benefits@B The registered version has several enhancements over the shareware version. These include 60 combat missions, 8 training missions, unlimited free flight, and a sight range to 20 and 25 miles. You can also create your own mission scenarios. You also get more deadly AIM-7 radar-guided air-to-air missiles, MK-82, MK-83, MK-84 bombs, and bombsight avionics. If all this weren't enough you also get an on-board flight instructor for in-flight training, a VCR-like flight recorder with advanced camera control and playback, and a television- guided Maverick air-ground missiles with in-cockpit imaging. You also get an 80 page illustrated manual (written by yours truly), that includes weapons systems and combat tactics. Spectacular! The game requires a 386 or better, 8 Megs of RAM, 11 Megs of hard disk space, VGA or better. Mouse, joystick/flight controller, sound card are all optional, but recommended. @EBlack Knight SE@E is preprogrammed to have default settings for some of the most popular flight control systems and joysticks. @BSumming It Up@B If you want a truly unique and realistic flying experience, take a good look at Black Knight SE! It's suited to both novice and experienced players, has truly realistic sound effects, and spectacular graphics. I've played a lot of flight simulators and feel that @EBlack Knight:Marine Strike Fighter SE@E is one of the very best I've ever played. I recommend it highly! @C (c) 1995 Michael E. Callahan aka Dr. File Finder (tm)