The Frontline Forum has been dropped for this issue — there’s no shortage of letters, but there just isn’t the space to do them justice. Keep writing in though... I’ve been promised a Forum spot for the August issue. Meanwhile, there are three interesting games for you to have a look at: Theatre Europe has been long in arriving but the final version has made it worth the wait; Iwo Jima, another title from PSS, means the lion’s share of this month’s FRONTLINE is given over to the Coventry Crew, but the last game, Argus Press Software’s The Force is perhaps the most interesting.
Reading the review should give you a clear indication of my opinion of The Force, but however well this game has been designed, it’s a good sign generally that new ideas are being explored in strategy games. I’m not advocating the end of historical simulations (or conventional ones for that matter) but a little more variety wouldn’t hurt.
In coventional games, companies have explored many kinds of simulation. It would be interesting if a software company licensed some of these titles and converted them to the Spectrum. For instance, Dark Nebula, GDW’s space exploration and combat game is a little long in the tooth now, but it would make a great computer game. Somebody wrote in this month and suggested the old Steve Jackson Games Ogre and GEV as candidates for conversion. I agree entirely. There is a massive list of possible game subjects for the interested Managing Director. Now all we need is an interested MD...
And finally — after last month’s suggestion in the Forum, I’ve included a new rating — OPPONENT. This is a percentage rating of how good the computer opponent is on the basis of a few (hard fought) games. On with the reviews...