A-10 Cuba!,a Windows-based CD-ROM for $39.95 from Activision (800-477-3650, http://www.activision.com)
A-10 Cuba! straps users into the cockpit of the Fairchild A-10 Warthog, one of the military’s toughest and most dependable close-support aircraft. Players are conscripted as pilots charged with defending the United States base at Guantanamo Bay from rebel forces invading by land, sea and air. Seated before a virtual cockpit complete with player-operated dials, knobs and switches, players launch airborne assaults on bridges, roads and enemy installments over 15,000 square miles of Cuban jungles, coastline and mountains.
A-10 Cuba! delivers a realistic flight environment and dynamic, fast-acton game play. The game’s expansive world is based on a real physics model that instantaneously computes hundreds of equations of motion, providing planes, missiles and even shrapnel with authentic gravity, friction and inertia.
In addition, the game faithfully simulates the rigid body motion and aerodynamics of the plane according to load weight, altitude and atmospheric conditions. The player’s plane in A-10 Cuba! has all the characteristics of a real airplane–the engine thrust capacity approximates that of an actual A-10, an in-cockpit fire extinguisher can be used to put out pesky blazes, and control-surface trim can be used to adjust flight characteristics on takeoff and landing.
Featuring high-frame rate, real-time graphics, A-10 Cuba! envelopes players in a visually stunning combat experience both on the ground and aloft. Six internal and external views with player-adjustable camera angles provide a complete diagnosis of flight conditions as well as enemy locations and target status. Additionally, players can compete head-to-head in airborne Cuban combat right out of the box. Two players can stage a shootout via modem, and up to eight players can compete in smooth, real-time flight over a LAN with A-10 Cuba!’s online capability.
Jay LaBarge
