BBC Microcomputer System

Space Pilot

Space Pilot is a clone of the classic Konami game Time Pilot and was developed independently from the contemporary C64 game of the same name with similar gameplay. Players command an aircraft through different environments, shooting down planes to collect points. The ship's nose can be rotated left or right, so the craft can move into any direction and take sharp turns left or right. Speed is not controlled by the user and it is always maintained at the same level automatically. The background is wrapped endlessly both horizontally and vertically, and that way it is impossible to encounter a border. The game takes place in five time periods: 1916, 1940, 1970, 1984 and 1999. Each level holds different types of enemies, from classic biplanes to spitfires, helicopters, jets and UFOs. In each scene the player needs to shoot eight regular planes to decrease an icon bar of planes in the top left corner. For every icon that disappears a sound is played and a new squadron arrives. Once all the icons are gone a large boss ship appears and it takes multiple hits to destroy it. After taking it out the plane travels through time to a new period. The player's aircraft has an unlimited amount of bullets. Enemy planes have bullets too, but some of them can also drop bombs or fire homing missiles. In certain environments paratroopers with a red cross appear; these can be collected for bonus points. There are four lives in total before the game is over, but for every 10,000 points a new life is granted. No more than five lives can be held. When all time periods have been completed, the cycle of the five scenes is restarted, but the score is kept.