Ka-50 Hokum

The Scenario - PIRACY ON THE HIGH SEAS!

It sounds like something out of the history books or a Hollywood film, but the truth of the matter is, pirates still exist and are causing chaos in the Southern Hemisphere. The sailing ships have been replaced by speedboats, and the hooks, peg-legs, parrots and cutlasses discarded in favour of machine guns and the latest military hardware, but these pirates are no less ruthless and cunning.

Every day in the South China Sea up to 200 ships slow to as little as 15 knots to pass through sea-lanes less than a mile wide leaving them open to attack from pirates. Valuable cargo is always stolen and often sold at neighbouring ports (with so many buyers in search of cheap product, it's easy to overlook its origins); sometimes lives and whole ships are taken. And when people start to notice, the ships are abandoned and sunk.

This is a serious issue prompting seminars devoted to the subject (such as The Piracy In South East Asia Conference, held in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia on July 28-29 1992). To make matters more awkward, the sea in South East Asia is divided into many jurisdictions with boundaries that cannot be crossed by the resident law enforcement.

Understandably, not everyone is happy about this arrangement. Some corporations are prepared to spend vast sums of money employing people to protect their investment. People like you.

As commander of a mercenary group, a ship and a fleet of eight helicopters, it's your responsibility to patrol an area approximately 75,000 km square km.

As commander of a mercenary group, a ship and a fleet of eight helicopters, it's your responsibility to patrol an area approximately 75,000 km square (lying at a longitude of 3 degrees North and a latitude of 160 degrees Fast, in case you were wondering), and suppress or (preferably) remove the pirate forces dominating the Indonesian-owned Anambus Islands.

Let the on-board computer plan and execute a campaign of action, leaving you free to fly the missions of your choice. As your experience and confidence grows, you can take on greater responsibilities, and ultimately mastermind a movement to eradicate the pirate threat once and for all

The simulation begins with your ship based in the top right-hand corner of the map; the enemy headquarters is not shown on the map, but it lies somewhere in the region of the lower left-hand corner. Between your Base Ship and the enemy HQ there are dozens of enemy bases to destroy.

You may notice an enemy base nearby with three huts, an oil dump, a pier and (if it hasn't sped away) a speedboat at its end.

Don't waste time positioning cameras in an attempt to locate the enemy headquarters - it won't be easy to find. It's also unwise to attempt to destroy the enemy headquarters from the outset, as the resistance is near impossible to counter.

Unless you decide otherwise, the ship's computer handles the strategic planning. Missions are automatically generated but only those applicable to your position and status will be presented.

You can never be certain of the strength of the enemy threat, so reconnaissance missions are always on the cards. But you can be certain that there will never be a duli moment: the enemy will always be up to something - and you will always be alerted to the situation. To activate the missions, simply start the clock.

The missions are automatically flown for you. Helicopters appropriate to the situation will be launched and it's up to you to choose how you will interact with the missions. Obviously your interference will make a difference to the mission's outcome - one way or the other. Missions include the escort of ships and protection from enemy attack, interdiction and reconnaissance.

... use the Werewolf or Cobra to take out the offensive elements, then send in a Hip or Lynx to clean up the remainder

As your confidence grows you can take on greater responsibilities and mastermind the whole operation (the computer does a functional job which does not guarantee success). You can generate your own missions - say, assuming a support role or sending out multiple helicopters to take out multiple enemy sites.

Given the different combat roles of the helicopters, it makes sense to send out more than one for certain missions. For example, use the Werewolf or Cobra to take out the offensive elements, then send in a Hip or Lynx to clean up the remainder. Note that there is a minimum interval of three minutes between each helicopter launch from the ship.

Don't bother attempting to fly beyond the boundaries of the map - ifyou don't run out of fuel or get shot down, you are certain to be held responsible for any ships that might go missing while you were messing around.

Be warned that when a helicopter is hit by enemy fire, the resultant vibration makes it harder to fly.