Desert Fox (C64) - A Playguide and Review - by Lemon64.com

Описание: I made this in respect of VE day, and Italy's Declaration of War on 10th June 1940. Desert Fox was produced by Sydney Development Corp. and released in Europe by U.S. Gold in 1985. It features skill scenarios and map exploration, and is fondly remembered. See Notes:

Production Notes:
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Captured: 20th May 2020
Narrated: 21st May 2020
Edited: 20th-22nd May 2020

I used a different mic setup, so hopefully it sounds better?

A few things I missed in the review. Sidney Development Corp was not based in Australia, it was Canada's first publicly owned software company. The game only came out on two platforms, the 64 and the CPC. Coder MaryLou O'Rourke originally coded BC's Quest for Tires (1983), and went on to Killed Until Dead (1986). John Harley coded B.C. II: Grog's Revenge (1984), and would go on to the Full Auto series on the PS3. So you could say this is BC 3? Monty's Quest for Flags? Paul Butler did the Sound (according to the game), and you might remember he went on to The Train: Escape to Normandy, and also Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon.

I got a few facts slightly wrong in the review. The Western Desert Campaign (as it became known, although it took place in the Upper Eastern Sahara, known as the '"Western Desert" of the Nile), was the starting point of the North African Campaign, which took place exclusively in Libya between the 11th June 1940 until the 9th of March 1943. Italy initially declared with Egypt, so the Italian forces set off from Tripoli in the West of Libya, and arrived near the border to Egypt. A small British and Indian force pushed them back to Tripoli. In the Spring of 1941, Hitler sent Rommel and 3 squads of tanks and troops there. Before the first squad had fully gotten off the boat, Rommel was already rushing up the road, and pushed the combined British force back to Sollum (Sallum), which is near the border to Egypt. This also began the siege of Tobruk in April 1941, as the coastal city was able to stand up to the thin supply line of Rommel. Over the next 19 months (the setting for this game), the combined British Commonwealth force of AUS, NZ, India and GB pushed the Axis (not necessarily "evil") forces back and forth across the desert. The Panzer III and IV tanks they faced were given away by their radio signals, and the British found they could understand what was going on - thanks to the banks of decoding women at Bletchley Park. Rommel was forced back to Tripoli by Dec 1941, but in the spring of 1942 he set off again, pushing the Allies back to El Alamein (again near the Egyptian border) by June 1942. By August the Allies have flown in Monty (Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery) to take over the beleaguered bunch. Operation Torch pushes back the Axis forces, with Tobruk finally liberated in November 1942, and Tripoli by January 1943, forcing the Axis to pull back into Tunisia. There is a final push from the Axis with some Panzer VI (Tigers), starting with the attack at Sidi Nsir and 155 Battery, where they were held back enough for the Allies to fortify the valley, and they were eventually crushed. Rommel's remaining Afrika Korps was shipped back to France. On the 13th of May the (mostly Italian) troops which remained, surrendered.

The game is not very deep, and not very technical, even though at first it looks that way. I always thought the game felt amazing back in the day, but I didnt understand what to do and quickly got killed. I thought the aim to was take out Rommel, and this proved difficult. Coming back to this and watching the longplays and guides, at last it was possible to understand it, and give it a proper try. I had one quick warm up to see where the items were on the map, and realised the timing of the game meant I had to get there in a big rush, or the base would be dead. I guess the later levels need the player to have mapped out the area on paper first, and do all the recon in advance. When making the review, I wondered why the map was so small. Looking at the real map, this area of the game is very much on the border with Egypt, so there would need to be 4 or 5 screens to the Left to make it all the way to Tripoli.

Overall I like the atmosphere, the voice speech sounds which actually sound German, and the presentation. The game itself is a tactical avoid 'em up, where the best plan of defence is to avoid the worst mini games (like Convoy and Tiger), the others simply slowing the player down on their mad dash towards capturing the flags. It still holds up today, and perhaps a modern version would add little except perhaps to randomise the encounters with each game. Some of the encounters arnt balanced, and the game severely lacks a briefing screen to give the player any idea of what you are supposed to be doing, and perhaps a few lines to history to introduce the five scenarios. I think it deserves 8.5 out of 10.

Many thanks go to The Tank Museum and Lindybeige for there info during my research.