November 2, 1998 by John Engler SRP: $59.95 + $5.05 s/h Bullseye Software Flying Circus Download Demo Pros: low RAM requirements, easy and simple interface, RAVE acceleration supported, design your own missions Cons: not much detail, difficult to control without a joystick, small number of real missions, pricey

    Bullseye Software has been designing Mac-only flight simulators for a number of years. While similar products seem to increase their learning curve exponentially as faster computers allow for more true-to-life gameplay, Bullseye has maintained a lean approach to its flight simulators, keeping them easy to learn and less intimidating to play. Fying Circus is their latest creation, a World War I flight simulator that follows a similar format to the company's previous simulators.

The Red Baron flies again

    In Flying Circus, you assume the role of a WWI fighter pilot. Your job is to fly one of 20 missions successfully. The first five missions familiarize you with the game mechanics, while the second five teach you more about dog-fighting. The last ten are real missions that challenge your ability and your situational awareness. The missions aren't linear, so if you feel confident after flying mission #3, then you can jump to one of the harder missions. I wish you "good luck" though, the enemy is good!

    You are given the option of flying one of four airplanes: the Sopwith Camel, the S.E. 5a, a Fokker Triplane, or a Fokker D-VII. Each mission has a default plane that is supposed to fly the mission but you can always fly your favorite plane and change the planes the enemies fly. Each plane has it's own strengths and weaknesses, though they aren't really apparent till you've been shot down by a Camel or you're trying to bomb a train of vehicles and you realize you're out of bombs. You can also create your own textures to be applied to the planes in Flying Circus.

Lean and simple

    The beauty of this game is that there isn't a huge manual accompanying it. The manual is included in PDF format on the CD, but it's hardly needed. It spans 16 pages long and it beautifully covers everything you'll need to know about playing the game. Also included on the CD are two manuals giving some background information about how fighter pilots became so important throughout the Great War. The controls are limited to navigational (throttle, turning, braking, flaps) and firing (guns and bombs).

    Flying Circus may get boring after you've beaten the first twenty missions, so Bullseye has included 8 extra missions on the CD. You also have the ability to create custom missions that you build yourself. Bullseye also has links to some extra missions on their website.

    The game world is 100 by 60 miles and is set on the "Western Front" of WWI. It includes six air bases, Allied and German bases are paired, two in the north, two in the middle and two in the south. There are a few token towns in the world for some historical reference, and so you don't get totally lost.

    Graphics are the game's one weak point. Without RAVE acceleration they consist primarily of crude polygons and limited textures. With RAVE, the textures are improved but still fall short of what's expected with today's hardware, although cloud and haze effects are employed and the actual planes look quite nice.

    The game play on the whole is good, although it's hard to play the game with a mouse, let alone the iMac's mouse, and trackballs are out of the question. Because the game uses Apple's Input Sprockets, you can also control the game entirely from the keyboard, although a joystick will add a lot to the gameplay

A pricey addition to your game collection

    If you are into flight sims and are interested in World War I history then Flying Circus is a great addition to your software library. If you are new to flight simulations, Bullseye's titles are a great start, although you might check out the demo of Flying Circus before actually buying it. It's a solid title but at $60, it becomes pricey for what you get.