From: smb@col.hp.com (Sam Bauer)
Subject: >>PC Game: Flames of Freedom
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 16:05:43 GMT
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division

PC GAME FOR SALE	

********************* Flames of Freedom *******************
by Microplay

Requires: IBM XT/AT/PS1/PS2 & most compatables.
	  Hard disk, 286 or better, 640 K, DOS 3.0 or higher
Supports: VGA/MCGA graphics, Roland, Soundblaster, Ad Lib
	  Keyboard, Joystick, Mouse
Media: 3.5" HD

This is one of those games that despite quite a few rough edges, I 
thoroughly enjoyed to the point of losing too much sleep and coming
down with a cold.  You are a mercenary, and you job is to liberate
all 42 territories of the Saharan empire.  In Training mode you may
experiment with the strategy needed to stop the enemy armada, or you may
practice operating one of the many vehicles available.  Operating them 
is like operating a first person flight sim with polygon filled terrain.
Vehicles include land: Tank, Jeep, Truck, Bus, Train; water: Speedboat, 
Ship, Submarine, Minisub; Amphibious: Hovercraft, Crawler, Flying Sub 
(yes, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea time - and it goes on land); Airborn: 
Biplane, Helecoptor, Zeppelin, Balloon, Rocket Pack, Flying Boat.  All but
a very few have good weapons, along with advantages and disadvantages.
"Raids" mode lets you try to liberate any of the 42 territories as a stand
alone game, while Campaign mode lets you work over a six month (game time)
period to liberate as many of the slave islands as possible and prepare
for the enemy armada.

Liberation of a island varies in dificulty from island to island.  Some may
take only an hour while others may take many hours.  I general, you pick 
an island, are given background, weapon(s), a list of possible contacts,
and mission objectives.  Once you accept you are transported to the island
and begin in one of the vehicles listed above.  Now you must sneak or fight
your way around the islands, looking for better vehicles, weapons and of
course those important contacts that will aid you by giving you information
about the enemy, more contacts, etc., just look out for traiters.  Objective
range from rescuing key people, recruiting key people, assasinating leaders,
and destroying key installations (some underwater).  

I particularly found combat to be a kick.  Whenever you are close enough to
an enemy vehicle, you can hit the "special actions key" and take it over.
Not only does this knock out a enemy vehicle, it allows you to acquire
new vehicle and firepower quite easily.  There's nothing like sprinting
headlong into the thick of battle on foot, jump into a tank, drive close to 
a faster moving jeep, jump to the jeep, and then snag a low flying 
helecopter, all the while launching enemy vehicle seeking missles, and 
racking in cash bonuses for eliminating squadrans.  Even more fun and more
challanging is swimming out to a group of subs, diving with only your
mask and no weapons, take over a sub and blast away, maybe you get
lucky and snag a flying sub.  Don't worry if you are taking too much damage,
you can rest for a couple of hours anywhere (even underwater as a frogman).
Even being blown out of a zeppelin won't kill you - the first-person fall 
is fun to experience and a short rest will take care of the resulting bump 
on the head that makes you disoriented - and travel nearly impossible.  

On the down side, switching to the overhead map takes too much painting time
(33mhz 486), and some islands have so many people to meet, that meeting the
mission objectives may get repetative and somewhat tiresome.  The manual 
look-up copy protection is not hard but always a pain.  I experienced lock-up
twice in the strategic training, and once during a real mission while jumping
between vehicles, but luckily, my save early, save often philosophy kept 
me from being too irritated in these isolated cases.  The vehicle driving
interface could have been better, though with practice, I became most 
proficient with the mouse, which works much better with the rest of the
user interface.  

Probably the most negative part of this game experience for me was the end 
game.  When the armada launched, I couldn't figure out how to beat it.  The 
manual, though detailed in most respects, lacked much depth about this part.  
I was unable to get anyone at the tech support number (apparently no actual 
people work there during normal hours), though the automated menu system 
(which offered no automated help on this game) made sure that my calls where 
answered and therefore would show up on my phone bill.  Choosing the tech 
support choice, an automated voice announce it would now transfer me.  After 
many many minutes on hold, I would get disconnected or booted back to the 
main menu - fun!  Aside from this, not completeing the end game, doesn't 
really bother me - after all, endings are always anti-climatic for me - and
honestly, playing the missions was really where all the fun was.

I keep thinking that I should keep this game, cause just writing this makes
me want to play it more.  But hey - I've still got other games to play with
new adventures  and worlds to offer, and someday some company will produce 
another game like this that irons out all the wrinkles, and I'll buy it and 
be hooked for life.  Until then...
 
Includes ALL original box, registration, and other stuff.  I am the original
owner.

I will sell the game for $32.

I will pay shipping.  It will be mailed inside a box with packing.

EMail at smb@col.hp.com or call 1-719-531-4460 (days).

Sam Bauer, Hewlett Packard CTD, Colo. Sprgs CO.