Just like Fort Apocalypse many fans of the old C64 get a very nostalgic look on their faces when talking about Blue Max. The game which was created by Peter Adams and released by Synapse Software in 1983 was one of the first really good titles for the C64.
The title screen
Your mission
Located in World War II, you set of in your propeller plane, equipped with a machine gun and some bombs. All alone you must battle through enemy zones meeting planes and being exposed to cannon fire. The game is really pretty much like Flying Shark, but yet so different. For instance, you see the plane from an isometric view meaning that you must control both altitude and sideway position. This is quite hard at first, but you will soon feel comfortable with how the plane behaves. Before you take off you have the possibility to choose control method (I prefer the real flight stick method where pulling the joystick towards you means that the plane moves up) and difficulty level (wind conditions and enemy level of intelligence).
All alone in enemy land
Shooting down planes and ground objects while avoiding bullets takes some practice. But as your skills get better you can shoot down tanks, lorries and boats and even fly under bridges! The difficulty of the game increases as you penetrate deeper into enemy land, but it never gets annoyingly frustrating. Always keep an eye on the fuel meter, because if you miss a landing, you will probably soon crash.
Shoot down ground targets
The graphics in the game are not spectacular, yet they are clear and fulfil their purpose. The game runs smoothly and there is always a lot of action going on on-screen. The music is limited to a simple 3 voice tune on the title screen, and the sound effects consist of simple explosions.
Land and re-fuel or have problems
Overall impression
This is a true shoot'em up classic. Looking simple at first, there is a lot of details in the game, and the gameplay is surpassed only by few newer games. Games like this are not made anymore, and its a pity... But, hey - you can still grab it and kill some hours!
Rating
This is my personal rating of this game. If you like, you can make your own general rating using the voting function to the right.
