Reach For The Skies

Why am I thinking of S Club 7?

This is a flight sim by Rowan/Virgin released in 1993 and attempts a recreation of the Battle of Britain era between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. That was a crucial part of the war and is split into four mammoth sections. If you're up to it, you can be a brave pilot or the controller for an entire squadron.

Obviously, the first thing I did was skip the manual and read nothing more than the keycard. This humble sheet of paper displays an array of keys used to successfully pilot the planes. Also, there is a practice mode, which is great for newcomers who can bypass the complex take-off procedure and pretend to be a stuntman like Colt Seavers, whizzing across those lovely 16-bit skies. Well, ahem, I did :)

Those who prefer to take things seriously can learn the cockpit and keep the keycard sheet at hand. As you get accustomed to flying the skies, you note some external views: I enjoyed these, and you can watch me messing about on my YouTube channel (shown below). There are other features - video recording!

This is a demanding flight sim with some neat features that are brilliant for novices and pros. I love the authentic cockpits, and the external views are stunning, but learning to hunt down and destroy the enemy will take much practice. But that's definitely a good thing, right? Reach For The Skies is one of the best flight sims, something I will enjoy time and time again. Tally-ho and chocks away, old bean!!

Be the best pilot and download the hard drive version (floppies on Atari Legend).

Now, this is what I call awesome pixel artwork. Look at the details. Love it!!

The German on the right looks like Colonel Von Strohm, I thought.

Awesome pixel art throughout, and I love the moustache and pipe. Very British lol

Is anything here catching your eye, hero?

Love the dated information that presents the mission ahead perfectly.

Those plucky Germans with their technology, commitment, and wishful thinking!

The camera views are superb and I loved messing about with this feature. A lot!!

The graphics are incredible. It's like you're really there, well, for this 90s gamer anyway...

Oh no, pull up!! Pull up!! Why do I always die...?

Please note: the video recording is based on my Mega STe (16MHz).

Also, I have tried to show the game's basic elements for both the German and the British sides.

I didn't show the standard 8MHz computer, as there are already lots of videos on YouTube, so I wanted to be different and put the extra grunt of this computer to use!!

It is worth noting that the standard Atari ST performs very well (no change there then).

Flappy Bird

I said I wouldn't do it, but here we are!!

Yes, the most annoying game has finally arrived on the Atari ST, and I’ve tried to play it. I managed about 30 minutes before I was ready to chuck the joystick out my bedroom window. The animation above just gives a taste of the misery I endured. I hope you find my suffering amusing - it was absolutely dreadful!

Well, I’ll say this about this maddening game: it looks fantastic as it torments you. The graphics are bright and colourful, and it runs in 1VBL for ultra-smooth scrolling. However, I just don’t get it. Why is the whole world so enamoured with this flappy little flyer? What am I missing? I think that the world gone mad.

I never enjoyed or appreciated this game; I simply hate Flappy Bird so much!

• Fools can grab the download from the AtariMania website.