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Title Dawn Patrol
Game Type Flight sim
Company Rowan Software/Empire
Players 1
Compatibility All
HD Installable Yes
Submission Seppo Typpö (groucho@pp.inet.fi) Profiled Reviewer

Review
Rowan Software has produced some mighty fine flight simulations for the
Amiga computer. Having mastered the WWII flight sims with games like
Overlord, they turned into WW1 air combat with Dawn Patrol. But how do
they compare against the excellent Red Baron from Dynamix or MicroProse's
Knights of The Skies, or the flight sim part of the Wings from Cinemaware?
Pretty well, actually.

The presentation and game structure of Dawn Patrol is quite unique.
Instead of following the career of a single pilot, the game revolves
around a sort of hyperbook, which describes the famous air combats during
WW1 and then gives player a chance to relive them through the flight sim
part. Some missions even allow the player to choose the side too, which
provides two different ways to fly the same mission.

The graphics are pretty good (aircraft are quite detailed but the
landscape is quite sparse) and sound is adequate (standard flight sim sfx
and moody music). The fight model of the plane is probably the weakest
part of the sim as there seems to be no notable differences between
various aircrafts and the planes are a bit too fiddly to fly.

Even with its faults, Dawn Patrol manages to be a pretty pleasing
experience. The "storybook approach" is a welcome departure from the more
career based structure the other WW1 sims offer. The hardened flight sim
fans might still want something more serious but for casual computer
flyers Dawn Patrol provides an educational and somewhat entertaining
experience.