Super Huey III

The Good
I’m not sure what I was doing in 1985, when the original Super Huey came out for the Commodore 64—probably being eaten by a grue. Anyway, I wasn’t part of the “stunned” gaming world Cosmi describes on their web site. Having missed out on the world’s first Helicopter simulator, I wasn’t going to miss the chance to play the third incarnation (complete with 3D graphics and XP compatible) especially at a $5 price tag.

I’m happy to say that I enjoyed the 20 out of “over 35 missions” I was able to get to work and I’m not sure that I missed out on much. Flying the UH-IXb (the geek name for the Super Huey), I was able to bomb radar arrays, send missiles slamming into enemy gunships, spray enemy installations with my Gatling gun, and take out enemy vehicles and vessels with my flame thrower.

The “over 35 missions” take place in the woods, desert, and at sea. Missions include rescuing downed pilots, destroying balloons, taking out ICBMs, and… well… not much more… sorry. The game seems to reuse the same four maps, but keeps throwing more enemies at you to increase the challenge. Graphics and sound are serviceable. One nice feature of Super Huey III is that you can view the action from 10 different camera angles.

While the game advertises realistic controls and a control panel, the Super Huey is easily controlled with the mouse and a few keys. There’s a fuel indicator which seems to serve as a mission timer, an altimeter which isn’t terribly useful, and your ammunition counter. It’s definitely more arcade than simulator.

The Bad
Super Huey III, as a game, is almost as good as some of the free games available on the Internet. It’s good bargain software, but it’s still bargain software. It’s XP compatible in that they can both exist in the same time and space, but don’t expect more than that. As I said, the game mostly worked, only freaking out on levels where there were enemy gunships.

I can’t say that I have any legitimate complaints about Super Huey III. It offered a day’s diversion and reinforced the lesson that you get what you pay for.

The Bottom Line
Super Huey III kinda feels like the type of game that should come with the PC.