Flight Simulator Co-Pilot, Classy Chassy

FLIGHT SIMULATOR CO-PILOT

The Atari skies have gotten awfully crowded lately! With the quick success of the Atari XE Game System-- which comes with Flight Simulator II on cartridge--there are more and more fliers of all ages. Some of them really get quite good. Others, like myself, have done little more than take off, turn a bit, and crash. I owned Flight Simulator II for almost four years and hadn't even found the Statue of Liberty Let's face it, flying a plane, even a simulated plane, is tough--and the Flight Simulator II manuals are dry!

Now I fly with something approaching ease. Since I bought Charles Gulick's entertaining book, Flight Simulator Co-Pilot, I not only found the Statue of Liberty, I landed on its island. I also discovered how to really get use out of those mysterious OMNI and NAV gadgets. From coast to coast I traveled, and now I'm ready to buy those other Scenery Disks.

In this entertaining, witty series of lessons, he holds our hands from "panel familiarization" through simple takeoffs, turns and landings. Enjoying the author's (and our own) cleverness, we eventually discover that we have become experts in flying our Atari Piper 181 small planes.

The appendix gives us specific controls and control codes for all the 8-bit versions of Flight Simulator--so ST people will need to keep their original manuals handy. Nevertheless, it's hard to imagine a more user-friendly book.

For example, we're reminded in our last regular training session that the takeoff procedure bears repeating: "1. Check carb heat off. 2. Trim for take- off with two quick notches up. 3. Put on 10 degrees of flap." By this time, we know exactly what each term means, and we're not likely to forget. With absolutely no confusion, we have a higher altitude and a lower air-speed, conserving fuel and time.

Then we're off to Seattle, Bryce Canyon, various bridges, and even back to World War I. Points of interest are highlighted, and we're treated to trivia of our scenic trips. ("It might interest you to know that in 1883 there was a bewitched house on Church Street.")

This is the manual which should have come with Flight Simulator. It's the best 10 bucks ever spent by any Flight Simulator owner--no matter what computer you are piloting.-- CHESTER COX

$9.95. Microsoft Press, 16011 N.E. 36th Way, Box 97017, Redmond, WA 98073. (206) 882-8080.

CLASSY CHASSY

Classy Chassy is a pinball simulation that does everything Night Mission pinball does--but at about half the price, because it is packaged in a plain brown paper bag. Sure, it lacks the construction set feature found on many of its competitors, but while some people have the time and the patience to build their own machines, others might wish only to flesh out their libraries with a good pinball simulation. I think Classy Chassy would be perfect for the latter, despite its often clumsy keyboard commands (reaching into the keys to shoot the ball makes it hard to get your fingers back on the flipper keys without looking away).-STEVE PANAK

$9.95. 64K disk. Clearstar Softechnologies, P.O. Box140. Harrells, NC 28444. (919) 532-2359.