Longbow 2
(Review as featured in APC July 1998.)
Diehard computer helicopter pilots will just love Longbow 2 — it's as
close as you can get to flying the real thing under actual battle conditions. It's a whole
lot cheaper too, even if you go the whole hog and get the specialist joystick, rudder and
throttle controls to fly at professional level with absolute realism.
Flying a helicopter (more properly called a 'rotary wing aircraft') is not easy, and the pilot must coordinate three main controls: Collective for vertical movement; Cyclic for forward, backward and banking movements; and Directional for changing heading. You are given all the flight training you need to do all this and more, in both the interactive tutorials and the thick manual. This is a high-quality program, right from its opening video sequence of actual air combat, complete with radio transmissions and great sound effects.
The graphic set-up options cover terrain texture, lighting, weather conditions and even smoke. There are missions and campaigns galore, and three famous combat helicopters in which to fly them: the AH-64D Longbow Apache, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and the UH-60A/L Black Hawk. Full specifications of all are in the comprehensive manual, and before taking off you can arm them in any way you wish.
By Eric Holroyd
