Airborne Ranger

Airborne Ranger
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	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.

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.

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.

References

External links

• Airborne Ranger at MobyGames

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