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Who has not, as a boy, dreamt of being a steam engine driver? Well here's your chance. This game puts you in control of the Southern Belle, a steam train on an hour long journey from London Victoria to Brighton. There's not much in the way of steering to be done, but you must maintain the coal and water supplies and keep to the schedule. The graphics are good and train enthusiasts should have fun, but for the rest of us there's probably not enough to do.

Take your seats for the 12 o'clock service from London Victoria, calling at Clapham Junction, Merstham, Haywards Heath and all stations to Brighton. The Southern Belle, the famous Pullman service of the 1920s, is stoking up for a final run.


Hewson Consultants has attempted to capture the trials of life in the engine cab in a full simulation of one the most elegant trains of all. You must control a 4-6-0 King Arthur Class locomotive, regulating the steam pressure, shovelling coal into the boiler, obeying signals, and even blowing the whistle at the correct times.

The screen display shows the interior of the cab and the features of the track as they pass by. Those include 24 stations, tunnels - including the twin-towered Clayton tunnel - signal boxes, Battersea Power Station, and other landmarks.

Controlling the train is not easy, in spite of a comprehensive booklet including a history of the line. Gradients are included, and to score full points you must make it to Brighton on time, using an economical amount of coal.

There are a number of training modes, where the computer controls many of the functions, and the full run includes weather hazards. There is a high-speed demo as well, but the whole trip is in real-time, so you will not finish in under an hour.

The version we saw was a pre-production copy, with many of the control features not operative. Hewson promises further landmarks and decoration on the screen, as well as information about hazards and signals. Our rating is therefore provisional and may be updated in a later issue.

Train lovers will certainly enjoy a good, solid simulation, and those who are used to flight simulators may find a day's outing on the Southern Belle a refreshing change from airport mayhem.


Publisher Hewson Consultants
Price £7.95 Memory 48K
****

Chris Bourne

SOUTHERN BELLE
Hewson Consultants / £5.95

Rick: "Live out your dreams on the Southern Belle" (Who she? Ed.) But it's not really a dreamworld. This cunning cassette has nothing to do with sultry Southern women though Dad's more likely to get steamed up over this than he did over your train set! But nostalgia ain't what it used to be as the age of steam meets the age of the microchip.
The game faithfully re-enacts the Southern Belle's hour long journey from London Victoria to Brighton. The brain takes the strain and the computer plays commuter as you try to keep to schedule without letting the coal or water run down. But it's all a little too predictable. And why not choose a more thrilling run like that of the Mallard if you want speedy excitement? Pre-Beeching in its evocation of steam romance - pre- historic in its chug-along concept. Give me the 125 any day. 6/10
Ross: The wide range of control options offered in this game made it possible for me to get the train in motion without even using the instructions! But once I was merrily chuff, chuffing down the track, I wished I wasn't there. 4/10
Dougie: Well, it's a welcome change from space games, but it doesn't quite make the grade to become a classic. What it lacks is some excitement. 5/10