Have you ever imagined yourself in the pilot's seat of a Sopwith Camel across enemy lines during World War I? If you have, Dawn Patrol may be just the software for you to live out your dreams through this thoroughly engaging flight simulator, which focuses on the first aerial war centered on the battlefields of north-eastern France during the winter of 1915 to April 1918. Although Dawn Patrol comes across as a game/flight-simulator, I could just as easily classify it as educational/reference because of the amount of historical information it contains. Dawn Patrol is published by Empire Interactive. I reviewed the 3.5" diskette version of the product. Dawn Patrol also comes on a CD-ROM version, which provides additional multimedia enhancements.

Installation:  I wish I could say it was a snap. The truth is, I struggled for well over an hour after all files were copied to my hard disk trying to get Dawn Patrol appropriately configured for my system. Dawn Patrol is a DOS-based product and will not run under Windows; I was able to get it to work by using either the multi-boot configuration process allowed with MS-DOS 6.2 or by creating a boot diskette. Once it is up and running, however, the experience was worth the effort and the wait. Although it was not easy to configure, the product comes with a "Technical Supplement" which provides details on various setup configurations. Without this, I might have still been trying to get it configured. The installation process copies the entire program to the hard drive, taking up about 14 Mb disk space (Note: the CD-ROM version supposedly only occupies 400 Kb hard disk space - I want it!).

Documentation:  Empire has done an impressive job with packaging for this product; the documentation is extensive and includes, in addition to the "Technical Supplement" already mentioned, an excellent "User Guide" and a glossy key sheet providing details on all flight controls. Also provided with Dawn Patrol is a very nice book on Baron Von Richthofen (the "Red Baron"), an especially nice touch to offset the recent trend of providing the bare minimum. There is no need to buy an additional help book.

The Product:  Now, on to Dawn Patrol itself. It works as sort of an interactive book that you can either read in sequence or jump into any chapter without losing anything. There are over 100 pages, with each page describing a particular aspect of the aerial war, including a specific aerial battle or mission relating to the subject of that page. Most of the missions allow you to choose to fly for the "Allies" or the "Central Powers" and to alter the number of aircraft involved in the mission. When you combine this with the fact that missions never happen exactly the same (i.e., approaching aircraft come from different directions during subsequent play), you have a WWI dogfighting simulation that is constantly changing, resulting in variable game play. The simulation can be run graphically in VGA, SVGA, or a combination (SVGA in the book and on the ground, VGA in aerial combat to speed up the simulation). I found the combination to be the most effective, although you lose a little bit graphically.

The first page of the interactive book lists six chapters which can be accessed directly: The First Air War (seven missions dealing with various aspects of the first air war), The First Aces (15 of the most famous, including Baron Von Richthofen), Aircraft of the Era (BE2c, SE5, DH2, Nieuport, Spad 7, Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Triplane, Sopwith Camel, Albatros D Series, Fokker Monoplane, Fokker DV11, Fokker Triplane, Gotha GIV & V, and LVG CH), Pilot Biographies (a module that allows you to create your own war record as an air ace - you assume the role of one of eight fictional pilots), Video Replay (a video editing module that allows post-production of in-flight videos), and Preferences (skill levels, sound effects, contol, etc.).

The interactive book can be controlled using a mouse and/or keyboard. "Hot" items are indicated by red text. The flight simulation portion of the game can be controlled either by keyboard or joystick. When you start a mission, you are already in the air. The controls are responsive and planes are remarkably easy to fly, even for people with limited experience on flight simulators. Each plane handles differently, and there are a large number to choose from . Graphical renditions of the individual planes are beautiful. My personal favorite is the red Fokker Triplane. The in-flight controls are extensive. Almost any imaginable view can be attained from either inside the cockpit or outside the plane. There is a nifty outside combat-lock view which allows you to see both your nearest enemy and your plane simultaneously. The missions are challenging; since I am not an exceptional pilot, I found myself constantly running out of ammunition and getting shot down until I altered the skill level. Now I am invulnerable, have unlimited ammo, and can crash into the ground and immediately take off again without penalty! Navigation is possible by referencing an on-line map.

Bottom Line:  If you're interested in airplanes and flight simulators, aerial encounters during World War I, or just looking for an enjoyable experience, you will find many hours of pleasure in Dawn Patrol. I quickly became addicted. Empire obviously put a lot of effort into this product. Buy it - Fly it - Love it!

System Tested On:  IBM compatible PC (Gateway 2000) with a 80486 at 66 Mhz; DOS 6.2 & Windows for Workgroups 3.11; 8 Mb of RAM & 420 Mb hard drive; mouse; joystick

Minimum System:  IBM or 100% compatible PC with 386SX (25 MHz) or faster processor; 485 Kb conventional memory plus at least 70 Kb further conventional or UMB memory; at least 2.2 Mb expanded memory; VGA or SVGA graphics card; PCDOS/MSDOS 3.0 or above; 3.5" high-density floppy drive; mouse with Microsoft? compatible driver (optional); joystick (optional); AdLib or Soundblaster compatible audio card (optional); Roland MT32 or LAPC-1 (optional); Thrustmaster (optional/supported); foot pedals (optional/supported)

Suggested retail price is $69.95, but I have seen the CD-ROM version listed for $40 (mail order).

Empire Interactive Entertainment, 13220 Wisteria Drive, Bay N-2, Germantown, MD 20874  Voice: (301)916-9302  Fax: (301) 916-0437