''Spitfire 40'' is a combat flight simulation video game developed by Novotrade and published by

Mirrorsoft Mirrorsoft was a British video game publisher founded by Jim Mackonochie as a division of Mirror Group Newspapers. The company was active between 1983 and 1991, and shut down completely in early 1992. History In the early 1980s, Jim Macko ...

for the

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

in 1985.

Gameplay

The game is set during the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

where the player flies a

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...

. The game features two separate screens: The view from the cockpit and the instrument panel. Both have to be used in conjunction to fly the plane. Two

tutorial In education, a tutorial is a method of transferring knowledge and may be used as a part of a learning process. More interactive and specific than a book or a lecture, a tutorial seeks to teach by example and supply the information to complete ...

modes are included: flying practice and combat practice.

Reception

Zzap!64 ''Zzap!64'' is a computer games magazine covering games for computers manufactured by Commodore International, especially the Commodore 64 (C64). It was published in the UK by Newsfield Publications Ltd and later by Europress Impact. The magazi ...

'' summarized: “There are much better flight simulators than this – even Glider Pilot has faster graphics”. ''

Commodore User ''Commodore User'', (also referred to as ''CU'') later renamed to ''CU Amiga'', is a British magazine initially published by Paradox Group before being acquired by EMAP. Timeline ''Commodore User'' was launched in October 1983 with an initial pr ...

'' compared the game to ''

Spitfire Ace ''Spitfire Ace'' is a combat flight simulator video game created and published by MicroProse in 1982 shortly after it was founded. It was one of the first video games designed and programmed by Sid Meier, originally developed for Atari 8-bit co ...

'' and said ''Spitfire 40'' is the better of the two. '' Crash'' called the game an excellent simulation and said that it will appeal even to fans of arcade games. ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', originally ''Your Spectrum'' or ''YS'', is a discontinued British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was commercially published between 1984 and 1993. History The magazine was la ...

'' said that “''Spitfire 40'' is a friendly program, not nearly so difficult to get into as some earlier simulators, and it's very engaging with its role playing element”. ''

Sinclair User The ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...

'' summarized: “Not quite a Classic, then, but definitely Mirrorsoft's finest hour”. ''

Amtix ''Amtix'' (stylized as ''AMTIX!'') is a magazine that originally reviewed Amstrad CPC computer software in the mid-1980s, published monthly by Newsfield Publications Ltd. Unlike ''Zzap!64'' and '' CRASH'' (its more successful sister publications ...

'' called the game an “excellent program, and the best flight simulator on the Amstrad. ''

The Games Machine ''The Games Machine'' was a video game magazine that was published from 1987 until 1990 in the United Kingdom by Newsfield, which also published '' CRASH'', ''Zzap!64'', '' Amtix!'' and other magazines. History ''The Games Machine'' ran head ...

'' reviewed the Atari ST port: “Despite the age of ''Spitfire 40'', the thrill of combat is present...” ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' wrote in 1991 that the game has “poor graphics and poorer execution. It flies like a bus with the maneuverability of a tractor-trailer”. The game was a bestseller in England.

Reviews

* ''

Fire & Movement ''Fire & Movement: The Forum of Conflict Simulation'' was a magazine devoted to wargames, both traditional board wargames and computer wargames. It was founded by Rodger MacGowan in 1975, and began publication the following year. In February 1 ...

'' #76https://spotlightongames.com/list/reviews.html

References

External links

* {{moby game, id=/30012/spitfire-40
''Spitfire 40''
at Lemon64
''Spitfire 40''
at Spectrum Computing
40''
at Generation MSX 1985 video games Amstrad CPC games Atari ST games Avalon Hill video games Battle of Britain video games Commodore 64 games Mirrorsoft games Single-player video games Video games developed in Hungary World War II flight simulation video games ZX Spectrum games MSX games