DAS BOOT

 "It's a long way to Tipperary, it's a long way to go...." Anyone who saw the
great film, "Das Boot" (based on Lothar-Gunther Buchheim's novel by the same
name), probably still gets chills at the sound of those words, or the melody
that accompanies them. I was eager to find out whether the game could capture a
fraction of the tension, the intensity, the heroism of the movie. The game has
premiered. Has it succeeded? (This review is based on the IBM-PC version.)

 DAS BOOT is a "German U-boat Simulation," according to the subtitle on the box,
and indeed, you do control a U-boat. The game is tactical: You direct the U-boat
from points relatively close to the objectives, through minefields, avoiding
attacks by patrolling planes and sub-hunters, to attack position, where you
engage with torpedoes, deck gun, and/or anti-aircraft guns.

 DAS BOOT comes in a colorful box sporting a painting of a submerged U-boat,
surrounded by falling depth charges and a sinking ship in the background. The
box is hefty, which turns out to be due not to the manual, but to the paperback
copy of the novel, THE BOAT (DAS BOOT). The manual itself is slim but fairly
complete, and is separate from the "Installation and Reference Guide" that
contains all the keyboard commands necessary for play.

 The program is distributed on three 5-1/4" diskettes (3-1/2" diskettes are
available from Three-Sixty Pacific for $5.00). It installs easily, except for
one peeve of mine: The installation program only recognizes hard drive
assignments C and D, both of which are full on my system. I had to do some
copying and deleting before I could use the install program. There is no copy
protection.

 DAS BOOT requires DOS 2.1 or higher, and runs on IBM and compatibles, including
the Tandy 1000. It requires a minimum of 512K of RAM, at which level it supports
CGA, EGA, and Hercules graphics; if you have 640K of RAM, the game supports
256-color VGA/MCGA and Tandy 1000 graphics, as well. There is sound support for
AdLib, Game Blaster, and Tandy 3-Voice cards. A mouse is optional.

 I played the game on a 386-25 clone, with hard drive, 256-color VGA, a Logitech
mouse and an AdLib card. I also run QEMM to provide expanded RAM. I had no
problems.

 After the credits screen and title (which are accompanied by pinging ASDIC),
you're delivered to a main menu that's set against a bit-mapped picture of a
U-boat -- under a dark sky, battered by heavy seas, firing at two attacking
planes. Selecting Preferences allows you to specify graphics detail, sound
levels, and other timing-related events. The War Diary maintains high scores for
each type of training mission and scenario, a total of thirteen.

 Selecting the Demo runs you through several segments pulled from various
missions. It's a good way to get a feel for the game when making a buying
decision, but little use for learning the game. Selecting Action takes you to
another small menu, where you choose between Baltic Training or Missions.

 There are eight different training missions, four each on the surface and
underwater. These teach you the skills needed to successfully complete the
missions.

 Anti-aircraft Gun training is first. You fight off a flock of attacking patrol
planes with the sub's dual-tube anti-aircraft gun. There seem to be at least
four or five planes in the air making runs at all times.

 Deck Gun training follows. The U-boat is in the center of a convoy and under
attack by planes. The 88mm deck gun may be used on both types of targets. The
88mm rounds appear to travel three degrees left of a line extending from the
gun's tip to the target. It does make aiming a challenge.

 Next are Surface Torpedo Runs against a convoy. The game provides an aiming
system that utilizes multiple "marks" to plot a ship's path and range in order
to target the torpedo, but I found that eyeballing it worked fine.

 Surface Minefield navigating is last in the surface training. Utilizing a map
and a pre-plotted course, you must move from waypoint to waypoint to reach a
certain area without losing the sub to ten mine explosions. Durable little
things, these U-boats.

 The subsurface training missions begin with torpedo practice. This is much the
same as surface training, except that the aiming is done through the periscope.

 Sub versus Sub is an interesting concept for WWII vintage subs. The only
successful sub vs. sub engagements I've heard of in that era were at periscope
depth, but in this game, they may be conducted at any depth, using the "external
camera."

 Next is a staple of survival: depth charge avoidance. Again, rather than
depending on infomation derived from listening via hydrophones, you employ the
"external camera." (The "external camera" is not listed in the summaries in
Appendix 2: U-Boat Specifications as standard equipment. Odd.)

 And last is navigation through an underwater minefield, something no sane
U-boat commander would attempt by choice. (They must not have known how to use
those Top Secret "external cameras.")

 While the above training missions are not required before moving on to the
actual missions, they certainly are recommended if you're to successfully engage
the "tools of the trade." The game has no role-playing element in which you take
on the identity of a particular commander (player-created or otherwise), or even
a particular U-boat. You simply conduct missions and play for high scores. There
is no campaign option.

 When you're ready to attempt a full-fledged mission, you're asked to select the
U-boat type from among three available models: Type VII, Type VIIB, and Type
VIIC. You specify the level of difficulty, the Historical Accuracy of torpedoes,
the U-boat's Survivability, and Equipment (which allows you to take along
equipment not available in the actual time period...maybe even external
cameras?)

 The five missions are: Fjord -- Norway Campaign, Bay of Biscay, North Atlantic
Patrols, Artic Mission, and Gibraltar. Each provides a different mix of targets
and opposition.

 The actual missions are conducted from various stations within the boat.
Surface stations are Deck Gun, AA Guns, Conn, and Binocs.

 The Control Room allows control of the rudder and diving planes, and contains
information on torpedo tube load status, depth, engine power, diesel/battery,
and compass.

 The Engine Room provides info on Fuel, Battery Cells, Air Supply, Ballast, and
the Chief Engineer's report, including repair times if damage has been
sustained.

 The Radio Room is where messages are received and transmitted, and coded or
decoded. The highly vaunted "Enigma" unit is a single button that you press in
this game. Orders are received via radio, and there is a list of stock messages
that may be sent to HQ. These are used to complete orders in the various
missions, such as reporting a convoy's location.

 The Torpedo Room allows access to the tubes to reload, change the loadout, and
see a report on the status of the tubes. There are three torpedo types available
in the game: the G7e (T2) magnetic, the G7e (T3) looping, and the G&e (T5)
acoustic, intended as an escort killer.

 The Map Room is where most navigation takes place, as here waypoints may be
set. Once a waypoint is set, the sub proceeds at full speed, on the surface, to
that point. Each mission map comprises a quadrant of 16 map "squares." Any
aircraft or ships in visual range are also displayed on this map.

 The scenarios begin at sea, in the quadrant where the mission will take place,
and usually you wait a couple of minutes for orders to arrive via radio. From
there, you proceed to complete the missions, reporting success as each segment
is finished.

 So, did the game capture a fraction of the tension, the intensity, the heroism
of the movie? What did it deliver? The box proclaims "German U-boat Simulation."
It does not deliver; in fact, DAS BOOT does not appear to even attempt this.

 How many German U-boat commanders were silly enough to conduct anti-aircraft
duels with attacking aircraft, especially a whole flock of them? How many U-boat
commanders could "find and attack an enemy sub underwater"?

 Many of the pieces for a good simulation are here, but they haven't been
assembled. This is purely and simply an arcade game, and not a terribly exciting
one at that.

 Given that it's an arcade game, how does it rate? I'm not a great fan of the
genre, so I can't truly judge. However, based on my acquaintance with current
games in the simulation, strategy, and wargame genres, I can say that while the
graphics and sound are reasonable, they're certainly not impressive. All the
eye-catching graphics are bit-mapped stills. The game sounds do not come close
to pushing my AdLib card to its limits.

 While Siskel and Ebert gave the movie a double thumbs-up, I'm afraid I have to
give the game a thumbs-down. My expectations, both from pre-shipment publicity
and the packaging itself, were not met even part way. My copy is going to a
friend whose young sons like "shoot-'em-up" games.

 DAS BOOT is published by Three-Sixty Pacific and distributed by Electronic
Arts.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253