How to play Ace of Aces online
- Steer the plane: arrow keys. Up dives, down climbs, left and right turn.
- Fire cannon or rockets, choose menu items: Z (left button)
- Change view: press Z twice quickly, then push a direction: up for the cockpit, left or right for the engine room of that wing, down for the map. A double press with no direction opens the bomb bay.
- Pause and show the status screen: X (right button) or F4
- Leave the title screen: F2 (Select) or Z
- Restart with the same mission: F3 (Reset)
- Both the USA (NTSC) and Europe (PAL) cartridges are on this page; use the switch above the emulator.
Gameplay
First choose a practice flight (a dogfight, a train or a U-boat) or a real mission. Missions target V-1 flying bombs, JU 88 bombers, trains carrying Allied prisoners, or U-boats heading for Allied convoys. You can take on several at once. An intelligence report then gives the weather, altitude, weapons and target order. Once you accept, there is no turning back.
Next you load bombs for ground targets, cannon shells and rockets for air fights, and extra fuel tanks for long trips. A heavier plane flies more slowly. In the air you switch between five views. The cockpit has the compass (a dark line points to the next target, and later home), radar and an enemy altitude gauge. In the engine rooms you set the throttle and the propeller booster, which must match, and put out engine fires. In the bomb bay you open the doors, drop bombs or empty fuel tanks, and choose between cannon and rockets. An intercom diagram lights up whichever part of the plane needs attention.
| Target or bonus | Points |
|---|---|
| Fighter (rocket / cannon) | 1,000 / 500 |
| V-1 (rocket / cannon) | 300 / 150 |
| Bomber (rocket / cannon) | 200 / 100 |
| U-boat | 250 |
| Train car | 200 |
| Prisoner (Red Cross) car | −200 |
| Safe return | 2,000 |
Unused bombs and rockets earn 50 points each at the end, and leftover shells and fuel tanks 10 each.
Tips
- Bomb low and slow. The manual recommends about 1,000 feet and 100 mph for trains and U-boats. You only get one pass at the train.
- Read the train before you bomb. Hit the cars marked with the Iron Cross. Cars with a Red Cross carry Allied prisoners and cost you points.
- Open the bomb bay late. U-boats start diving as soon as your doors open, and a submerged U-boat stays down for the rest of the mission.
- Use rockets on fighters. They score twice as much as cannon hits.
- Keep the throttle and booster in step. If they don’t match, the engine over-revs or lugs, and an over-revving engine can catch fire.
The story behind Ace of Aces
Ace of Aces was developed by Artech and published in 1986 by Accolade in North America and U.S. Gold in Europe. It came out on the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX and other computers, and later on the Sega Master System. A 1987 Compute! article called it Accolade’s second best-selling Commodore 64 game. Atari Corporation released it on cartridge for its 8-bit computers in 1988, styled for the XE Game System.
The 7800 version was made by Nova Game Design. The computer versions let you change views from the keyboard; with no keyboard on the 7800, every view is reached with the double tap of the fire button. Reviews of the 7800 version are mixed: the fan site Atari 7800 Forever gave it 2.5 out of 5, yet still called it the best flight simulator on the system.
