PHM Pegasus
1986 games Commodore 64 gamesZX Spectrum gamesAmstrad games
Simulator of the long-lived Pegasus class of hydrofoils that were supposed to be the future of the navies.
PHM Pegasus (Patrol Hydrofoil Missile crafts) was an original concept that aimed to increase the speed of small patrol boats. The hydrofoil technology seemed like a perfect solution, it could increase the top speed of the boat to about 48 knots and when it is not needed, they could be just retracted. Of course, what it seemed to be on the paper, turned out to be a technological nightmare in real life - the retractable hydrofoils were complicated, they required a lot of maintenance and with the progress in development of better helicopter, they became obsolete.
The game PHM Pegasus was created when the flaws of the design were not yet so obvious and this title gave the user the opportunity to take control of the hydrofoil in series of missions in different parts of the world (like the Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, Persian Gulf or the Caribbean). The range of missions the user takes part in is not huge - quite few of them are patrol missions in which the goal is to identify the possible threat, but some of them are more complicated, like escorting the tankers or intercepting the enemy motorboats. The number of options is rather limited (like the equipment of real PHM Pegasus) - we have chaff as defensive last resort, we have deck gun and missiles, we have radar, but the rest is up to the player to make use of the speed of Pegasus not only to intercept the enemy, but also to avoid the attacks.
The game was typical for the early naval simulators, with fixed position aboard the ship and the data (apart from the map) visible all at once. But just like the hydrofoil, the game quickly became an interesting, but a bit obsolete piece of entertainment. Especially when Strike Fleet was published and put this game in shadows.
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PHM Pegasus screenshots
PHM Pegasus keyboard shortcuts
BRIDGE
0 - engines stop
1-5 - preset ship speed settings
Q/A - increase / decrease ship speed
O - steer left
P - steer right
7 - select gun
8 - select chaff
9 - select rockets
SPACE - fire weapon
X - pause
V - switch between bridge and map
T - choose target
R - change radar range
K - increase time speed
L - decrease time speed
MAP
1 - autopilot switch
SPACE - select waypoints for autopilot
Q/A/O/P - setting waypoints for autopilot
0 - engines stop
1-5 - preset ship speed settings
7 - hydrofoil selection
D - switch mode between icons and radar data
N - normal time speed
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