Producer: PSS
Retail Price: £9.95

This game occupies a position somewhere hazily between strategy counter-moving and simulation. It is in PSS's familiar house-style, as opposed to what seems to be their 'imported'style; that is, we have slick machine code programming, nice presentation terms of rather bland and pretty graphics, and the admittedly handy 'com-box'.

The arcade sequence, which is predictable from this description, is not, in this case, an optional frill. It attempts to occupy a central position in the game, and justifiably so when you consider the scenario; it concentrates on the part played in World War II by the Bismarck - one of those unsinkable ships which inevitably go down. Historically the Bismarck lived up to the tradition set by the Titanic, and the gameplay of this computer simulation of the brief serving life of the 'pride of the Kriegsmarine' does its best to be authentic in this respect.

The Bismarck was launched into active service on 18 May 1941 and sunk by the flagship of the British home fleet, King George V, on 27 May. It was trying to head towards the mid-Atlantic, where it would keep the British battleships busy and allow its companion-ship, the Prince Eugen, to attack the merchant convoys safely. Before it could break out into the open ocean it was barraged not only by half the British navy, who had intercepted its radio messages and were able to track its position accurately, but by air attack. There is a detailed and well-narrated account of the Bismarck's nineday reign in the rulebook, which sets the scene admirably and individualises the various British ships which appear on the screen.

The map shows Western Europe, Iceland, and a portion of the North Atlantic. If you accept the default option to play the German side, it shows very little else when the game starts; the Bismarck, a small square with a cross on it, awaits orders at the top of the screen. Although the surrounding ocean is teeming with British battleships, convoys and aircraft carriers, the German player is only intermittently made aware of their positions.

There are icons on the map, in the form of a flag and windsock, representing the command centre and weather station of whichever side you're playing. The weather centre can always be accessed with the corn-box and shows what the weather conditions across the map are; a pattern of clouds, reminiscent of those new trendy electronic weather-maps, appears superimposed over Europe. If you really want to imitate the television weather forecast on your Spectrum, successive key-presses call up a prediction of where the cloud will be any number of hours later. Cosmetically this is an attractive feature, and the theory is that the German player ought to keep the Bismarck travelling under cloud to minimise the danger from British air attack.

The command centre can only be accessed when it flashes. For the German player it reports U-boat sightings of British ships, which come regularly and are very helpful in attempting to avoid their path. The British player is told of radio intercepts, which pinpoint the Bismarck's position. These radio sightings don't start happening until about halfway through the game, so there's little the British player can intelligently do until then, beyond making sure the navy is in a fairly central position ready to steam towards the Bismarck when it shows up.

The main function of the combox is, as with other games in this style, to give movement orders to the units. The German player only has control over the Bismarck, while the British player can give orders to a number of battleships and an aircraft carrier. The only order which can be given via the com-box is movement but it also accesses the unit's battlescreen.

This is where the famous - or notorious - PSS arcade sequence begins to look surprisingly like a serious attempt at simulation. The battlescreen, which unlike conventional arcade sequences, can be accessed at any time, is split into three sections. The upper part of the screen shows a featureless view of the sea in front of the ship and the enemy if there is one in the vicinity. Other ships appears as highly detailed outlines on the horizon. The middle section is a complex bank of icons and information, which are used to control ship movement and to fire the weapons. The lower part of the screen shows a diagramatic representation of the ship from the side on; as soon as you start getting shelled the point of this display becomes alarmingly apparent as fire spreads through the hull towards the engines and fuel tanks.

When the Bismarck sails near an enemy unit it appears on the map screen, and even if the other side decides not to engage in battle the ship will probably be visible if you access the battlescreen. Once in view, you can attempt to close on the enemy by selecting the appropriate icon, and when it's in range of your guns you can fire. There seems to be little skill involved in the actual firing. It's a matter of pointing the viewfinder in the right direction and pressing the button, discharging an apparently limitless quantity of shell. PSS tell me that the real skill lies in outmanoeuvring the enemy ships, and certainly, it you let the Bismarck sit there and take substantial damage from an opponent, then you will inevitably lose. Somewhat artificially, hits to the enemy ship are displayed above hits to your own. The Bismarck can take 99 points of damage before sinking, but as shells hit, fires start around the ship and unless these are dealt with you risk having an explosion in the fuel tanks before you're actually shot to pieces.

A separate icon allows the player to move a fire-fighting crew to the scene of the blaze, but in the meantime the enemy may still be firing. Am I being too exacting to point out that on a battleship like the Bismarck, which carried a crew of 2,300 men, it was hardly necessary to stop firing to run with a bucket of water to put out a fire? Probably not, because it puts the player at a disadvantage. The enemy doesn't pause to repair its fire damage. Juggling between combat and fire-fighting mode can become wearisomely fiddly.

The Bismarck is attempting either to reach the southern edge of the map reasonably intact, or to get to Brest with at least one sunk British ship to its name. This sounds easy and is extremely and depressingly difficult, as the historical disadvantage the Bismarck was under is ruthlessly reproduced. The ship only has 99 hit points and no way of recovering them once lost, several at a time, to enemy shells. It follows therefore that the Bismarck ought to avoid any combat if at all possible and head for the south edge of the map, despite an injunction in the rules to keep clear of battleships but 'sink everything else. In practice, It's very difficult to avoid being caught up in battle. Obvious British tactics unfortunately encourage a kamikazi mentality, for sending weaker ships to certain death against the Bismarck can do a significant amount of permanent damage. There ought to be penalties for suicidal strategies; as it is, you get 'A British Victory' and a respectable percentage for scuppering all of your ships except one which was on the point of exploding from fire damage. It's good to note at least that actually shooting at your own ships is not tolerated.

The game proceeds in real time, with a choice of pace between fast, medium and slow. Fast is not particularly speedy, and there should be no reason to want to slow up what happens on the map screen. The quick pacing means that the game is unlikely to last for a long time, and that - to me - contributes to an impression of shallowness. Other players may like a game which has fixed boundaries and a definite resolution within the space of an hour. The rules come in a small high-quality booklet and are nicely presented; there's an index table, illustrations of symbols used on the screen, and useful Information about the military capabilities of the ships. All aspects of gameplay are clearly described in a meaningful sequence, and the historical overview is well-written and interesting. The standard of PSS documentation seems to be improving.

Bismarck is a smoothly-presented, undemanding game which tries to make an arcade sequence work as an integral part of a wargame. Of that type, a type PSS are creating, it is successful. I remained unconvinced that this particular style of wargame has anywhere to go; it's too glib, it seems too much of a pale reflection of what it's attempting to blend, and it doesn't offer enough of a long-term challenge. But there's a lot packed into Bismarck, and this may be a game which younger and inexperienced wargamers will enjoy.

Summit
£3.99 cassette

The great German warship, Bismarck, weighed in at 41,700 tons and was launched in April 1941, making us Brits quake in our boots. So we sent put more than 30 ships to blow 'er out the water. Luckily (for us), a Swordfish from the aircraft carrier Ark Royal blasted her rudder beyond repair, leaving her a virtual sitting duck and easy prey for our ships.

Bismarck, the game, brilliantly recreates the last days of its nautical namesake. Control either the German vessel and escape to more friendly waters, or the pursuing British fleet. If you can't cope with the historical scenario, there are five set battles to practice on.

It's very complicated (as all good strategy sims should be), but intelligent use of icons and an ended joystick option stop it being tedious. Unfortunately, the instructions don't come up to the game's high standard and seriously mar enjoyment for the first few plays.

An amazingly accurate simulation of naval warfare, all-important elements such as weather and visibility are well covered. When engaging an enemy ship, careful study of direction and gun elevation wins the day, not lightning reflexes and mindless button-bashing. Watch out for damage to your own ship, too - delay sending that firefighting party too long and you may not live to regret it…

Again true to life, there's more to the game than open warfare. Some strategy hints are offered, but don't expect an easy time of it - Admirals aren't trained in a day (not even in the Italian navy!). It's up to you to know what's going on around you - it won't be offered on a plate. (I was once relieved of all duties for sinking one of my own ships!)

Strategy games don't appeal to everyone, but those who like a challenge will like Bismarck. It takes a while to get used to, but it's atmosphere, playability and incredible degree of historical accuracy make it a real winner.

PSS
£9.95

The hunt for the Bismarck is one of the most famous tales of World War II. The story of the sinking of the mighty German battleship has been told in books and films again and again, but up till now wargamers haven't been offered the chance to recreate the tense cat and mouse game in the North Atlantic, as the pride of the Kriegsmarine tried to challenge Britannia's rule of the waves and threaten her lifegiving convoys.

It may seem strange that such a significant encounter should have been left unsimulated while every other military match-up in history has been recreated on screen. However, if you think about it, you'll see the problem. The Germans only had two ships, and they sailed so close together for the most part that they really can only be shown as one unit. The British had 30 ships themselves, but this isn't really likely to stretch a veteran wargamer far.

Bismarck, as a result, is a very simple game, but designer Alan Steel has tricked it up with some neat features. There's aerial reconnaissance from the British aircraft carriers, weather (with some very pretty clouds) and, to make the real wargamers squeal, there's an arcade section! However, if you're a real wargamer, don't worry. It's really quite easy to score a hit when you're blasting away, battleship to battleship. Hitting the Bismarck in an aerial attack is a little harder. But once you've stopped flying your Fairey Swordfish into the drink, as I started out doing, it isn't too hard.

The strategic possibilities aren't huge. Either the Bismarck goes north of Iceland, or it goes south. All you have to do then is bring up either of the two aircraft carriers and a couple of the four battleships you have to play with, then it's over to the arcade section and good luck.

The whole game is well-organised, clearly presented and good to look at. You have a choice of three levels of difficulty, and you can choose to command either the Royal Navy or the Bismarck. It's a good introduction for those who are getting bored of arcade games and fancy something a little bit tougher.

REPLAY

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Alternative
£3.99
0977 795544
Reviewer: Lesley Quigg

Stand by all you sim fans, you're about to meet your maker. Personally, I despised simulations, but then I'm a girlie. Girls are supposed to like dolls and ballet dancing, not macho sims.

Of course, you all know exactly what the Bismarck was, don't you? No? Oh dear, you really shouldn't have skived off all those history lessons. Well, just for the record (and those empty pages in your history jotters), the Bismarck was a wonderful ship built by the Germans during World War Two. The Germans claimed the Bismarck was unsinkable which meant that the all had very red faces when she finally met the wonderful British Navy and was gloriously sunk. Hurrah! And who said YS wasn't educational? (Erm, nobody actually. Ed)

Before you toddle off to impress your friends with your new-found intelligence you're going to have to either play the game. You can either take the British side and sink that darn ship, or get all Germanic (boo!) and try to save that darn ship and so rewrite history. Either way, you'll find that the Bismarck nearly always sinks, so she couldn't have been that commendable.

There's no great complexity to Bismarck; just tonnes of strategy, loads of time-wasting and a helluva lot of fire extiguishers which you have to use to save your blazing ship. The gameplay is nothing special and it's highly likely that you've seen it all before. This really is a yawnsome game, so try not to hit your held on poor old Spec. Take the Keep Britain Tidy campaing approach - it doesn't take a minute to bag it and bin it.

Label: PSS
Price: £9.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: Gary Rook

The Bismarck was a German 'pocket battleship' and during the second world war it had much the same effect on the British Navy as Freddy the Bogeyman has on assorted teenagers in Nightmare on Elm Street part whatever.

Not only did she (ships are always female for some reason - even those with butch names) raid convoys and send defenceless merchant ships to Davy Jones Locker, she also sank HMS Hood, the pride of the British fleet, which went to the bottom of the Atlantic with all but three of her 1,415 crew.

Now PSS's strategy game Bismarck gives you the chance to show just how the hunt for the Nazi commerce raider should have been conducted - or can you, as the Captain of the Bismarck, evade the Royal Navy, cut Britain's Atlantic lifeline, and escape to safety in Brest harbour?

There are two parts to the game. The first part, the search phase, involves you moving your ships around the map of the Atlantic, flying off your aircraft to look for the enemy, and basically waiting for the Bismarck (or the Prinz Eugen, the slightly smaller warship which accompanied it) to get spotted. Of course, if the Bismarck has been sighted, then the British navy will converge on her as fast as it can.

The map shows the Atlantic Ocean the North Sea and the English Channel. Marked on it are Scandinavia, the British Isles, Iceland, a bit of Greenland, and the North West coast of France. Dotted about this area are the various ships and groups of ships which are at the players' disposal. These are shown as squares, about a character to a side. The Bismarck is a black cross on a white background, while the various British ship types - destroyers, cruisers, battleships, aircraft carriers and convoys - are represented by different symbols. The game uses "hidden movement" so if you're playing the Germans, the only units on screen will be the Bismarck and Prim Eugen, and any British ships they can see. With the British, it's vice versa - you'll see the pride of the Royal Navy, about a dozen symbols, but no Germans unless you've spotted them.

Also on the map are various strange little symbols - wind socks, clouds, flags and anchors. The wind socks represent the air search capability each player has - move your command box over wind sock, hit Fire, and the areas your planes are covering at present will be highlighted and any enemy ships they can see will be shown. The cloud symbol represents the players' metereological experts. The flags are the respective headquarters - you sometimes get message from them - and the anchors are the various naval bases on the board.

Movement is simple - use the cursor keys to put the command box (an open white square) over the ship to move, hit Fire, move the cursor to wherever you want the ship to go to, hit Fire again, and off they go.

If movement is simple, combat isn't. In fact, it's so complex, that you'd be well advised to take advantage of the 'training programs' option.

When one of your fleet contacts an enemy vessel you become captain of that ship. The screen changes from the map to a sort of control panel/view from the bridge. The top part of the screen is what you can see from the bridge. Lots of sea, with the odd silhouette of an enemy battleship dotted around. The bottom part of the screen has a series of icons on it. By using the cursor keys to highlight the icon you want, you can order your ship to run away, charge, or maintain your distance, in non technical terms. Other icons control which way you're looking, and the weaponry the various types of ships have - guns for battleships, torpedos on destroyers, and planes on aircraft carriers.

Everything's done in an almost-arcade-but-not-quite- exactly style. The enemy ship appears on your radar screen, you get it in your gun sights, then you fire off a salvo of shells or a brace of torpedos and try to avoid enemy fire and so on. The problem is that it's not easy to switch from one activity to another quickly, as you have to keep accessing the different icons all the time.

I got blown out of the water on two occasions while I was still trying to work out how to stop firing my guns and run away - but then I was attacking the Bismarck with a measly little destroyer, which I understand may not be such a good idea.

There's certainly enough action in Bismarck. I don't know if you can call it a true wargame but, what the hell!

Label: Summit
Memory: 48K
Price: £3.99 Tape
Reviewer: Garth Sumpter

Achtung! Achtung! It's the Bismark and it's sailing right on back to either death or glory as it enters the budget fight.

And you can elect to either blow her out of the water or try to command her to victory by escaping the British Admiralty Atlantic blockade.

This is well-balanced strategy game, with the British/German options adding variety. Apart from the overall strategy game, there is a fast set-up option that has you put straight into the action.

Your mission is to get the Bismark through the British fleet and off the southern edge of the map to safety or if you choose the British Navy, to sink the sucker before it escapes into the Atlantic and wreaks havoc with the ships there.

The game features firing the big guns, using radar to pinpoint targets, torpedoes and even using planes as spotter and/or attack aircraft. A damage control section is used to put fires out before they spread to engine rooms or magazines with even an option to use anti-aircraft in defence.

Play is icon driven and whilst simplistic, is straight-forward and easy to use - graphics too are simplistic but functional making Bismark not the prettiest of games, but if you scratch the veneer you'll find game with thought and depth.

Big Al':
Strategy game don't have to rely on graphics and these are very basic. The game however, is far from it.

MACHINES: Spectrum, (Amstrad/CBM 64 due shortly)
SUPPLIER: PSS
PRICE: £9.95 (cass), £14.95 (disk)

The handful of German battleships and battle-cruisers pinned in their harbours in Germany were, throughout the Second World War, of immense concern to the British Admiralty.

If any one of them could have broken through the British air and sea defences between the Channel and Greenland it could, being resupplied by submarine, have briefly devastated the shipping routes across the Atlantic on which British survival depended.

So close was the British watch on the exits into the Atlantic that this was never very likely, but the closest the Germans came was the attempt of the Bismarck, with the battle-cruiser Prinz Eugen, in May 1941.

The PSS game offers the player either side against the computer, and a choice of difficult levels.

Its main screen is the strategic map from Sweden to Greenland and from northern France to the Atlantic ocean, showing the air cover and patrols provided by both sides, The main skill for either side is guessing when and how the Bismarck will attempt to break out.

The Bismarck's best chance is at night in bad weather.

On encountering an enemy ship the player can opt for the combat screen. This is an improvement on the usual arcade screen offered by the PSS Wargamers Series.

The main skill in the battle screen is manoeuvring the ship and estimating the range to the enemy target.

This is a historically good application of the "hunt the enemy" program which features in a number of PSS Wargamers Series games. My one criticism is that, although a joystick option is offered, it is so sluggish as to be virtually unusable, and often causes the program to crash. This makes flying a torpedo bomber on keyboard controls alone rather harder than it should be.