Pc CD-ROM minimum system requirements: 486DX/66mhz; 8MB RAM; 30MB hard disk space, DOS 5.0; Dual speed CD-ROM drive; SVGA. £34.99.
IT'S 10 years since the movie Top Gun was the number one show at cinemas throughout the country and it's unusual that this format hash taken so long to reach us. Nonetheless the film was so popular its title is still very marketable.
Top Gun: Fire At Will sees you based at one of America's best flying academies where only the elite of the US Air Force are sent. Raw and immature, the hope is that one day you will be a Top Gun. This school of excellence was apparently set up to re-train pi lots who had, because of modern technology, lost the art of aerial dogfighting.
There are three modes of gameplay. Instant action provides you with a number of scenarios whereby you came hone your skills before engaging in a full campaign. The main game, however, is mission-based and only successful completion of one will enable you to continue. As you make your way through these missions, live-action video complements the storyline. For those with modems there is also the option to play with a friend as your wingman or. take on him or her in a one on-one battle.
As with most games of this nature there is a host of views from which to choose. You, as Maverick, can see your F-14 Tomcat from almost any angle. One nice touch is the picture-in-picture facility. This gives you a close-up shot of your target and, although it's not realistic, it does provide for more entertainment particularly when you send a bogey crashing down to Earth.
Top Gun. Fire At Will never claims to be the most serious of flight-simulation games. The emphasis here is purely on entertainment. As a result it would be more appealing to the general gameplayer than a flight-sim buff.
Graphics: 80%, Sound: 81%, Gameplay: 80%.