[{"TitleName":"ACE 2: The Ultimate Head to Head Conflict","Publisher":"Cascade Games Ltd","Author":"Damon Redmond, John Cassells, Keith Jackson, Mark Fisher, Paul Laidlaw, Tony Roberts","YearOfRelease":"1987","ZxDbId":"0000059","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 48, Jan 1988","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1987-12-10","Editor":"Barnaby Page","TotalPages":196,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Managing Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Dominic Handy, Lloyd Mangram, Ian Phillipson\r\nSubeditor: David Peters\r\nPhotographers: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nOffice: Frances Mable, Glenys Powell\r\nTechnical Writers: Simon N Goodwin, Jon Bates\r\nAdventure Writer: Derek Brewster\r\nPBM Writer: Brendon Kavanagh\r\nStrategy Writer: Philippa Irving\r\nEducation Writer: Rosetta McLeod\r\nContributors: Robin Candy, Mike Dunn, Paul Evans, Dave Hawkes, Nick Roberts, Ben Stone, Paul Sumner, Bym Welthy\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director/Illustrator: Oliver Frey\r\nAssistant Art Director: Markie Kendrick\r\nDesign: Wayne Allen\r\nProcess and Planning: Jonathan Rignall (Supervisor), Matthew Uffindell, Nick Orchard\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Andrew Smales\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\nPlease address correspondence to the appropriate person!\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypesetting by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH - including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Cascade Games\r\nRetail Price: £8.95 48K cassette, £9.95 128K cassette\r\n\r\nOne of your spy ships has moved into position off enemy territory - so it's no great surprise when they send out a combat fighter to destroy the spy ship.\r\n\r\nYou must detect the aircraft before it reaches the spy ship. When you come face to face there may be no more than a dogfight, or it could be a full-scale ground-and- aerial conflict.\r\n\r\nYou take off in a fighter from an aircraft carrier at your home base. The cockpit has all mod cons: radar, compass and pitch-and-roll indicators and an altimeter are all them.\r\n\r\nYour fighter is highly manoeuvrable and can bank left or right, dive and climb. Engine power (shown on a thrust indicator) can be finetuned, and when three quarters of available power have been engaged, afterburners kick in, dramatically increasing thrust and fuel-consumption.\r\n\r\nSpeed is crucial to keeping the fighter airborne, because if you slow down too much the aircraft can stall.\r\n\r\nAltitude has to be monitored, too: there is a ceiling of 60,000 feet above which your aircraft cannot go.\r\n\r\nOn encountering the enemy, you have a range of weaponry available. Your Ace fighter carries aerial cannon, heat-seeking and radar-directed missiles, air-to-ground and air-to-ship missiles. All have quite different capabilities.\r\n\r\nStill, what the enemy can do is equally drastic. When the enemy fires its cannon you can only take evasive action, and you might end up scurrying back to the aircraft carrier for repairs.\r\n\r\nCascade's original Ace flight simulation earned 81% Overall in CRASH Issue 32.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nJoysticks: Kempston, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: split-screen display with unrealistic representation of movement\r\nSound: very simple spot effects\r\nOptions: two-player option","ReviewerComments":["Yet more flight simulations... this one has more novelty, with face-to-face combat, but it's spoiled by the cramped, split screens, which don't leave much room for intricate graphics. Nevertheless, once you're engrossed in flying around the barren wastes the tactical part of the game gets progressively more addictive.\r\nBym Welthy\r\n69%","I like a good flight simulation now and then, but there's no gameplay in Ace 2. The graphics are OK and the presentation excellent, with a good loading screen and excellent packaging, but Ace is a cheap follow-up to a great original.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n55%","This is the perfect flight simulation, allowing the aircraft enormous manoeuvrability. In many respects Ace 2 looks like Ocean's Top Gun, but it's in a higher class. However, the colour is sparse, as is the the sound, and the playing area is rather small - though it still permits the two-player option.\r\nDave Hawkes\r\n78%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A poor imitation of Ocean's Top Gun.","Page":"14","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Bym Welthy","Score":"69","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"55","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Dave Hawkes","Score":"78","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Ace 2: a lacklustre flight sim."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"78%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"50%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"61%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"62%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"62%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 26, Feb 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-01-14","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Peter George, Darrell King\r\nDeputy Editor: Marcus Berkmann\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nActing Production Editor: Fran Husband\r\nContributors: Richard Blaine, Audrey & Owen Bishop, Ciaran Brennan, Jonathan Davies, Mike Gerrard, Gwyn Hughes, David Jones, David McCandless, Duncan McDonald, John Minson, David Powell, Nat Pryce, Rick Robson, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Mischa Welsh, Tony Worrall\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Simon Stansfield\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nPublisher: Kevin Cox\r\nPublishing Director: Roger Munford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1988 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Cascade\r\n£8.95\r\nReviewer: Jonathan Davies\r\n\r\nYour commanders have placed a spy ship just off the enemy coast to monitor one of their radar stations. The enemy (the Ruskies, no doubt) have quite understandably got a bit narked about this, and have sent out one of their planes to get rid of it! Naturally you're the only one with the experience (and stupidity) to sort it out, so pack your bags and off you go.\r\n\r\nSound familiar? Yep, I've seen Top Gun too - and Ace II has obviously been inspired by Ocean's game of the film. It pits you head-to-head against either the computer or another player. The screen is split in half to give an out-of-the-cockpit view for each player. At least I think they're supposed to be views! All I seem to be able to see is the ground, the sky and occasionally the odd target Which is a bit of a step back from the rolling hills and trees of ACE 1 I'm afraid.\r\n\r\nThe aim of the game is quite simply to knock out the other plane, and if you're feeling particularly nasty his radar station too You do this with the usual assortment of missiles and machine guns. You can tweak the options to change the skill of the computer's plane and the number of hits needed to shoot it out of the sky.\r\n\r\nWhilst reviewing this game I couldn't help thinking that the programmers have gone a little too far in simplifying things. The flight controls are just up, down, left and right, and the plane seems to respond very strangely to some commands. Add to this the featureless cockpit view and a few rough edges here and there, ACE II begins to look somewhat primitive - neanderthal I'd say!\r\n\r\nIt's more of an arcade game than a simulator - and a pretty duff one at that! On the whole a bit of a let down - if you're into this sort of thing stick with Ace I.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"A dreary two player combat game with very limited potential, at a high flying price.","Page":"30","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jonathan Davies","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 70, Jan 1988","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-12-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nStaff Writer: Tamara Howard\r\nArt Editor: Gareth Jones\r\nDesigner: Andrea Walker\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Richard Price, Chris Jenkins, Tony Dillon, Gary Rook\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mike Corr\r\nSales Executive: Steve Prescott\r\nClassified Sales/Production: Alison Morton\r\nPublisher's Secretary: Debbie Pearson\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Richard Winnington\r\n\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1986 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 84,699 July-Dec 1986"},"MainText":"Label: Cascade\r\nAuthor: In-house\r\nPrice: £8.95\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Chris Jenkins\r\n\r\nLast year, Cascade's ACE made quite an impact. It hit just the right balance between simulation and arcade game to appeal to a wide audience, it was neatly programmed, and it offered more excitement than conventional flight simulators.\r\n\r\nFor all that, Aerial Combat Emulator was a simple game of skill and timing.\r\n\r\nACE 2 tries to repeat the formula with a little more gloss, but fails to make a better impression than the original.\r\n\r\nThe main gimmick is that ACE 2 can be played as a oneor two-player game.\r\n\r\nThe screen display includes a score column showing planes remaining and points scored on the left, and two out-of-cockpit view windows. Each window includes a control panel giving details of speed, altitude, fuel, compass bearing, ammunition and so forth. There's also a message display, which comes up with comments like 'reduce altitude to land'. This is pretty odd, since the game doesn't require you to land (or take off for that matter). All you do is fly off the map under 1,000 feet, and you're switched to the armament screen, where you can take your choice of heat-seeking, radar-guided, air-to-sea missiles.\r\n\r\nThere are two main scenarios to play. A straight air-to-air battle with you versus the computer (or another player), or a more complex mission where you have to knock out a spyship before reaching for the sky.\r\n\r\nThe graphics, unlike those of the undistinguished Top Gun which ACE 2 otherwise resembles, are solid rather than wire-frame. However, since the background consists entirely of blue sky. blue sea, a black horizon and a small black aircraft, even the smooth and speedy scrolling doesn't convey much excitement.\r\n\r\nThe artificial intelligence controlling the computer aircraft doesn't seem to be that hot. You can happily fly for ages without getting shot at. At the same time, if you get the baddy in your sights, it lurches around the screen in a way which definitely contravenes accepted laws of physics.\r\n\r\nIf anything, ACE 2 falls down for the same reasons that ACE 1 was a success. Since you don't have to worry about little things like take-off and landing, undercarriage, flaps, rudder, engine temperature, maximum speed and G-force, ACE 2 definitely isn't a simulation.\r\n\r\nHowever, it doesn't quite make the grade as an arcade game either, because the action isn't fast and variable enough to maintain the interest.\r\n\r\nPerhaps Cascade thinks that adding a few extra details like variable weapon load, alternative missions, and defensive measures like chaff and flares makes ACE 2 more appealing. It doesn't really, because the basic idea is played out and the gloss doesn't add enough to make the difference.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Good basic idea, but ACE 2 doesn't quite make it either as an arcade game or a simulation. Adds nothing to ACE 1.","Page":"90,91","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Jenkins","Score":"4","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"PROGRAMMER\r\n\r\nPaul Laidlaw is part of Cascade's in-house programming team.\r\n\r\nSoftography: ACE (Cascade, 1986)"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"4/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) Issue 5, Feb 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-01-07","Editor":"Peter Connor, Steve Cooke","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Advanced Computer Entertainment\r\nFuture Publishing [redacted]\r\nTelephone [redacted], Fax [redacted], Telecom Gold 84:TXT152, Prestel/Micronet [redacted]\r\n\r\nCo-editors: Peter Connor, Steve Cooke\r\nReviews Editor: Andy Wilton\r\nStaff Writer: Andy Smith\r\nArt Editor: Trevor Gilham\r\nArt Team: Angela Neal, Sally Meddings\r\nPublisher: Chris Anderson\r\nAdvertising Manager: Jon Beales\r\n\r\nCOVER PHOTOGRAPHY\r\nStuart Baynes Photography [redacted]\r\n\r\nSUBSCRIPTIONS & SPECIAL OFFERS\r\nCarrie-Anne Porter [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOLOUR ORIGINATION\r\nWessex Reproduction [redacted]\r\n\r\nDISTRIBUTION\r\nSM Distribution [redacted]\r\n\r\nPRINTING\r\nChase Web Offset [redacted]\r\n\r\nCopyright - FUTURE PUBLISHING LTD 1988 - No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without our permission."},"MainText":"Cascade, £8.95cs (48k), £9.95dk (128k)\r\nC64 version reviewed ACE Issue 2 - ACE Rating 590\r\n\r\nThe gameplay hasn't improved any and the graphics are worse making ACE 2 a very avoidable game on the Spectrum. Again the lack of opponents and the limited cockpit view fail to compensate for the lack of realistic controls.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"67","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Ace Rating","Score":"530/1000","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]