The Affordable Wave of Future

Spectrum HoloByte’s game sampler “Fly It, Drive It, Play It” is an idea whose time has come. With its release, players now have access to game demos that were previously available only to dealers. With the price of most computer games ranging from $30-$70, they are the wave of the future.

“Fly It” is a playable demo of its soon to be released “Falcon 3.0.” An upgrade of a previously released game, it is an F-16 fighter simulation. Although described as a limited version of the game, players new to flight simulation could spend quite a bit of time mastering the complicated flight maneuvers available. Print out the documentation provided on the disc before taking off.

“Drive It” is a self-playing demo of “Stunt Driver,” a game released late last year. Never having had great luck with driving a video game, we didn’t miss being in the driver’s seat. It will give driving simulation fans a good view of the graphics, sound and obstacles available on the game.

“Play It” is a playable demo of another game released last year, “Faces . . . Tris III.” Similar to the earlier “Tris” games, this demo gives a nice flavor of this new stacking game. More restricted than the “Falcon 3.0” demo, it has a time limit that cuts off the game before total hypnosis sets in.

If you take advantage of the $5 rebate offer that comes in the package, Spectrum HoloByte is, in effect, paying you $1.01 to buy the “Fly It, Drive It, Play It” demo. Such a deal.

FLY/DRIVE/PLAY Rating: *****

IBM and compatibles, Tandy 1000; 640K RAM; 5 1/2-inch disc drive; list price: $3.99.

Computer games are rated on a five-star system, from one star for poor to five for excellent.