Posted on: July 19, 2025
Clockmaster77
Verified ownerGames: 379 Reviews: 5
Outstanding DOS-era helicopter sim
This sim is awesome for being a DOS-era game. The flight model is incredible, vith torque and other dynamic effects, that make the Hind very difficult to learn (try to take off putting the torque at maximum, and the helicopter counter-rotates very dangerously, and need to be adjusted with rudder). If you are used to flight simulators, it is very accessible once you know the keyboard shortcuts, and the combat missions are incredibly exciting. For example the unusual, for an helicopter, air to air first mission of the Khazakstan campaign, where you must intercept enemy rebel Hinds with R-60 missiles, is very dynamic and well constructed, with tanks under you that fires at enemy ones, SAMs trying to lock you, airplanes and helicopters of your side that combat with you bombarding the enemies, and the sense of speed is good, altough the game graphics engine has sadly no shadows. But the graphic detail is notable for the age this sim has, you can see the cities composed by a huge amount of buildings, the height of mountains is simulated using lot of flat polygons of different colours, etc. So also if the engine has its limits, the graphic artists did a great job. And I manage to play it effectively with a keyboard, and this is a point! Obviously the game, also if this GOG version runs in standard Dosbox, supports and is better played with joysticks with rudder and throttle, and it works great (I have an economic generic plug and play joystick with these features and the game recognized it). If you want an intense combat sim, with an unusually detailed flight model, I think this, and probably his sibling Digital Integration sim Apache Longbow, are the best you can get. And they runs OK on a very, very low spec PC: if you can't afford a PC for sims like DCS, that obviously are immensely better for the graphics, you can get this. Yes, an "ancient" DOS game, but much more accessible and immediate, and with exactly what you need: exciting combat and fantastic flight model.
Is this helpful to you?
