Reach For The Skies

Ugh? Why am I thinking of S Club 7?

This is a flight sim by Rowan/Virgin called Reach For The Skies. This was released in 1993 and attempts a recreation of the Battle Of Britain era between the Royal Air Force and 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. Don't be too scared, because there is a practice mode which is great for newcomers - like me. This means we can completely 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 are advised to learn the cockpit and keep the keycard sheet at hand. As you get accustomed to flying the skies, you will note some external views: I really enjoyed these and you can watch me messing about on my YT channel (shown below). There are other features - video recording!

This is a demanding flight sim with some neat features that are brilliant for a novice, like me! This means you can get the most out of this flight sim from the start. 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!!

Whatever plane you decide to pilot, it's best to download the hard drive version (floppies on Stonish).

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 own Mega STe (16MHz). I have tried to show the game's basic elements for both the German and the British sides. Perhaps I should have used the standard computer, but there are lots of videos out there on YouTube so I fancied being different and put the extra grunt of this amazing computer to some use!

However, it is worth noting that the standard Atari ST also performs very well (no change there then).