Ace of Aces

Ace of Aces offered an unusual take on Second World War aerial combat on the ZX Spectrum – the player sat in the cockpit of a Mosquito bomber and had to handle the roles of both pilot and gunner at the same time, with the view on screen switching between the front windscreen for navigation and bombing and the rear compartment for shooting down pursuing enemy fighters. This dual viewpoint, carried over from the original version on other eight-bit platforms, made the game a unique experience distinct from classic single-cockpit-view simulators, forcing the player to switch quickly between offensive and defensive thinking, since neglecting either role quickly led to the loss of the aircraft.

Missions involved bombing convoys, bridges and industrial targets in occupied Europe, with success depending on both precise target aiming and the ability to defend the aircraft against Luftwaffe fighters. The graphics on the Spectrum were simple but functional – the silhouettes of enemy aircraft and ground targets were recognisable enough to keep the game playable and tense. The sound focuses on warning bursts of machine-gun fire and engine roar, so the player has to track visually and audibly where the threat is coming from.

Ace of Aces received a positive reception in the mid-1980s precisely because of its original dual-role concept of pilot and gunner, which set it apart from rival flight games focused purely on piloting. It also earned praise for how it managed to squeeze a tense, varied and surprisingly long-lasting gaming experience out of modest technical means. It remains an interesting example today of how two different game mechanics can be extracted from a single aircraft, and fans of historical flight simulators will find in it a refreshing variation on established genre patterns, one well worth revisiting even decades later.

Why play: Thanks to its original dual role of pilot and gunner, Ace of Aces offers a refreshing variation on the established patterns of flight simulators, well worth trying even decades later.