Harrier Attack

Harrier Attack! was one of Durell Software's first games in 1983 and one of the titles that put the company on its feet. It originally appeared on the Oric-1 and the ZX Spectrum, with Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 versions following in 1984.

It is a horizontally scrolling action game in which you take off from an aircraft carrier, cross the sea to an enemy island and try to bomb its base. On the way, fighters come at you, anti-aircraft guns fire from the ground, and you have limited fuel and a limited supply of bombs and rockets. Survive the raid and you have to fly back and land on the deck again — a separate test of nerve.

The period context is interesting. The game appeared a year after the Falklands War, where British Harriers played a leading role, and that earned it attention well beyond the games press at the time. Durell presented the subject neutrally, but nobody needed it explained.

Mechanically it is simple and strict. The aircraft handles sensitively, altitude changes slowly, and a single hit is enough. Bombing requires judgement, because bombs follow a ballistic arc and have to be released early. Fuel is the real enemy — plenty of attempts end with you reaching the target and not getting home.

It has aged unevenly. The graphics are very plain even for 1983 and there is no progression beyond rising difficulty. On the other hand the loop is short and legible, so it takes five minutes to come back to. Treat it as a period-interesting first step by one of the better British publishers of the eighties.