Carrier Wing

Take off and land

On the deck, pick the load and press Play: the plane rolls down the deck at full throttle, and up lifts it once it is fast enough (or the bow lets it go). To land, come in low and slow over the stern, facing the bow, and touch down gently before the wires end: the hook catches one and the plane is refuelled, repaired and loaded again. Too fast, past the wires or facing the stern, it rolls on and you go round.

Flying

Up and down climb and dive, and the nose stays where you leave it (near level, it settles level). The arrow the plane faces opens the throttle and the other one closes it; the throttle stays where you leave it, and held closed, the plane rolls round to fly the other way. A steep climb slows it and a dive speeds it up; too slow and it stalls, its nose dropping. The sea, an island, a ship or another plane is a crash.

The load

Space fires the gun, which never runs out but only scratches a bunker, a hangar or a ship. B drops what you picked on the deck: six bombs, which fall and arc forward; eight rockets, a pair at a time, straight ahead; or a torpedo, which runs under the water to a ship when you drop it low and slow (from high up or too fast, it breaks on the water). A bomb going off right under you hurts you too.

Fuel and hull

The fuel runs down as you fly, faster at full throttle; with none left the engine stops. Flak from the guns and the fighters’ and gunboats’ bullets cost hull, which has four pieces; with the last one gone the plane goes down and its pilot floats down under his parachute. The next plane waits on the deck: three a mission, and what you knocked out stays down. At night, a searchlight’s beam on you makes the guns truer.

Points

Controls

The arrows or W A S D fly, Space fires and B drops the load. On a touch screen, the buttons under the chart, each held while you touch it. Enter takes off, resumes or goes on to the next mission; P or Escape pauses; R starts the mission again.