227: Operation Stealth

Number 227
(5.5 points)
Operation Stealth
1991: 46

The follow-up to Future Wars improves on the formula, but is it worth checking out today?

The fact that this was also released as James Bond: The Stealth Affair should tell you enough about the story. Without the licence, you play as John Glames, special agent for the CIA, whose is tasked with journeying to Paraguay to investigate the disappearance of a stealth fighter jet. It is believed that General Manigua, the country's dictator, may have had a hand in it, and it's up to Glames to find out what happened - and whether the Soviets might have helped out, too. The game uses an improved version of the point-and-click interface used in Future Wars: using just the left and right mouse buttons, you can do all the necessary commands, and no longer need you move your hero into the perfect spot before performing an action. Nevertheless, it hasn't aged particularly well, as it still suffers slightly from having to be find very small screen areas to click on. Not only that, but it's a French game, and the translation is very much lacking.

This game features a little higher on the 1991 list than Future Wars, possibly due to the better interface, yet I still find it a bit fiddly compared to modern adventures, and even contemporary efforts from Lucasarts and Sierra. I'm sure if I give it more of a chance, I'll get into it and enjoy it, but it took me longer than I liked to even get out of the airport at the start. My tip: use both mouse buttons (which took me a while to figure out) and carry a walkthrough.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Operation Stealth v3.7 (1990)(Delphine - U.S. Gold)(Disk 1 of 3)[cr PDX]
Operation Stealth v3.7 (1990)(Delphine - U.S. Gold)(Disk 2 of 3)[cr PDX]
Operation Stealth v3.7 (1990)(Delphine - U.S. Gold)(Disk 3 of 3)[cr PDX]