183: Warhead

Number 183
(11.6 points)
Warhead
1991: 61 (4.0)
1993: 82 (7.6)

Fly through space with Newtonian physics in Warhead, an unusual take on the genre.

You are the pilot of the FOE-57 spacecraft, and your task is to fight against a race of aliens from a nearby planet. At first, you must become acquainted with your ship by docking with the mothership, making a 'quad jump' to another part of space, and testing our your weapons systems. Later you will take part in missions such as eliminating enemy spacecraft and assisting allies.

The manual (in a kind of kayfabe) suggests that "pilots of terrestrial aircraft are often disoriented when first flying a spacecraft", and that was certainly true for me. The game's use of Newtonian modelling, like Frontier, instead of the "airplane-in-space" style, like Elite, makes it tricky for newcomers like myself, but after reading the manual and practising a little, you should get used to it. This is an unusual game that I can certainly see myself coming back to at some point.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Warhead (1990)(MPH)[cr VF]