- For U.S. military use of this term, see United States Army Rangers.
| Airborne Ranger | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | MicroProse |
| Publisher(s) | MicroProse |
| Designer(s) | Lawrence Schick |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, PC (DOS), ZX Spectrum |
| Release date(s) | 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| Genre(s) | Stealth |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | N/A |
| Input methods | Joystick and keyboard |
Airborne Ranger is a computer game released in 1987 by MicroProse. The game is a military simulation game in which a sole airborne ranger is to infiltrate enemy territory to complete various objectives.
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Gameplay
The game consisted of several missions, in which the player controlled a sole airborne ranger whose objectives included killing an enemy officer, taking out an enemy bunker, and even taking out a SAM-site.
At the start of each mission, the player was presented with a short overview of the mission, and could select a ranger from a roster of soldiers. The player was then in control of an aircraft, described as a V-22 Osprey and was allowed to drop three ammo crates over the enemy territory. Once the three containers were dropped, the ranger was parachuted into the area.
Upon touch-down, the player would have to overcome several obstacles, including enemy soldiers and officers, mine-fields, foxholes and bunkers. Due to limited ammunition, the player needed to plan his path through the territory. The dropped ammo crates provided the soldier with fresh grenades and ammo.
After completing the mission, the ranger had to navigate to a pick-up point without being killed. The ranger had to reach the pick-up point within a time limit.
If the ranger was captured (but not killed), the player could start an optional rescue mission using another soldier from the roster.
Each successful mission increased the rank of the individual ranger, up to Colonel.
Reception
A review in Computer Gaming World felt Airborne Ranger was reminiscent of the earlier arcade game Commando, but much deeper and more versatile. The graphics and sound were praised, noting gunfire sounds different when shot from inside fortifications than it does outside fortifications.[1]
The game was reviewed in 1988 in Dragon #135 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.[2]
Trivia
The game created the maps and objective locations randomly, so the player was required to plan each mission carefully, because no mission was the same.
Legacy
The game was followed by Special Forces.
Freeware status
Copyright holder Atari has released the game as freeware. It is available from the Atari website as a free digital download made to run on modern PCs using the DOSBox emulator software.
References
- ^ Rohrer, Kevin (January 1988), "Airborne Ranger", Computer Gaming World: 18
- ^ Lesser, Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk (July 1988). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (135): 82-89.
External links
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