Harrier Combat Simulator


Harrier Combat Simulator is a combat [flight simulation game] published in 1987 by Mindscape for the Commodore 64. Ports for Amiga, Atari ST and IBM PC followed in 1988.

Gameplay

Harrier Combat Simulator is a game in which the player assumes the role of a pilot in a Harrier [jump jet|Harrier-jet]. The player needs to become proficient in flying the jet, including its horizontal and vertical thrust and its advanced weaponry. The player pilots the only jet fighter that was not destroyed in a saboteur attack, and will need to destroy the headquarters of the enemy before they can launch a successful attack to destroy the Sixth Fleet. Most of the missions take place in Grenada, which was undergoing an American-led military invasion during the year 1984.

Reception

Harrier was reviewed in 1988 in Dragon #131 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. The [Palm Beach Post] that year said that the game "would have been a pretty impressive simulator a couple of years ago", but compared to Falcon, Fokker Triplane, Gunship, and F/A-18 Interceptor, Harrier was "primitive" and "silly". Computer Gaming World rated the game a 2 of 5 in 1991 and 1992.

Reviews