Posted February 22, 2024
Spectrum Holobyte had a decade-long run of combat sims forced on fighters, from Falcon A. T. in 1988 to Top Gun: Fire at Will in 1998. The games featured fighters, The title Flight of the Intruder (DOS in 1991, Amiga and Atari ST in 1992) was a bit of an exception from the air-combat focused collection, introducing missions in Grumman A-6 Intruder alongside a McDonnell Douglas F-4B/J Phantom.
Both aircraft were used for more than just air-combat, with long ranges and an 18,000 pound payload; they were utilized as incredibly fast bombers during the Vietnam War. The aircraft’s effectiveness as a bomber was so striking that after the first Intruder bombing missions in Vietnam, Radio Hanoi accused the U.S. of using B-52s over their cities.
The A-6 Intruder was designed as an all weather attack aircraft, and was the Navy and the Marines primary poor weather and night attack aircraft.
The large, twin-seat Phantom was a long-range supersonic jet (Mach 2.2) jet interceptor and fighter-bomber used by the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Marines to establish air superiority, and take part in ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance missions.
Flight of the Intruder drops you into these two cockpits as a Navy airman during the Vietnam War. You will need to master both the Phantom and the Intruder, and a variety of weapons in order to succeed. As you are in the Navy, be prepared to take off from and land on an Aircraft carrier bobbing in the sea.
Commander Air Group (CAG) mode puts you in charge. Select a primary mission and a half dozen secondary targets, then designate your aircraft and weapon based on available intelligence. You will need the right armaments for each mission, otherwise you’ll be left helpless in the air and torn apart by enemy aircraft or ground support. You also get to pick your pilots based on their ratings, experience and fatigue level.
Once the mission starts you are in the cockpit. If you succeed you rank up, and the missions become more difficult.
The One Magazine (95 out of 100) said Flight of the Intruder was a step up from Spectrum’s Falcon, saying ”The speed of the 3D allows even more complex maneuvers, and the choice of planes, the variety of options and the auto-intelligence ensure that it far out does its predecessor.”
Zero Magazine’s reviewer (92 out of 100) also praised the title upon release, saying “It takes a lot to stop me in my tracks, I can tell you. But the game itself nearly did: it's rather fab, you see. The flight sim has been crossed with a tank sim and the result is a winner. Not now the simple 'fly from A to B, blow up B and fly back to A again' scenario. Now you have to adopt a strategy and get involved in some serious map work … playing the game 'properly' may be absolute murder but it's eminently satisfying.”
Raze Magazine (95 out of 100) said “Overall, Flight of the Intruder is a tour de force in simulation programming… The 3-D graphics have been well programmed, especially considering the amount of info on screen at once. For the moment at least, Flight of the Intruder is the king of the skies.”
Both aircraft were used for more than just air-combat, with long ranges and an 18,000 pound payload; they were utilized as incredibly fast bombers during the Vietnam War. The aircraft’s effectiveness as a bomber was so striking that after the first Intruder bombing missions in Vietnam, Radio Hanoi accused the U.S. of using B-52s over their cities.
The A-6 Intruder was designed as an all weather attack aircraft, and was the Navy and the Marines primary poor weather and night attack aircraft.
The large, twin-seat Phantom was a long-range supersonic jet (Mach 2.2) jet interceptor and fighter-bomber used by the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Marines to establish air superiority, and take part in ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance missions.
Flight of the Intruder drops you into these two cockpits as a Navy airman during the Vietnam War. You will need to master both the Phantom and the Intruder, and a variety of weapons in order to succeed. As you are in the Navy, be prepared to take off from and land on an Aircraft carrier bobbing in the sea.
Commander Air Group (CAG) mode puts you in charge. Select a primary mission and a half dozen secondary targets, then designate your aircraft and weapon based on available intelligence. You will need the right armaments for each mission, otherwise you’ll be left helpless in the air and torn apart by enemy aircraft or ground support. You also get to pick your pilots based on their ratings, experience and fatigue level.
Once the mission starts you are in the cockpit. If you succeed you rank up, and the missions become more difficult.
The One Magazine (95 out of 100) said Flight of the Intruder was a step up from Spectrum’s Falcon, saying ”The speed of the 3D allows even more complex maneuvers, and the choice of planes, the variety of options and the auto-intelligence ensure that it far out does its predecessor.”
Zero Magazine’s reviewer (92 out of 100) also praised the title upon release, saying “It takes a lot to stop me in my tracks, I can tell you. But the game itself nearly did: it's rather fab, you see. The flight sim has been crossed with a tank sim and the result is a winner. Not now the simple 'fly from A to B, blow up B and fly back to A again' scenario. Now you have to adopt a strategy and get involved in some serious map work … playing the game 'properly' may be absolute murder but it's eminently satisfying.”
Raze Magazine (95 out of 100) said “Overall, Flight of the Intruder is a tour de force in simulation programming… The 3-D graphics have been well programmed, especially considering the amount of info on screen at once. For the moment at least, Flight of the Intruder is the king of the skies.”
