| Silent Thunder: A-10 Tank Killer II | |
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Official box art of Silent Thunder: A-10 Tank Killer II |
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| Developer(s) | Dynamix |
| Publisher(s) | Sierra Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Frank Evers |
| Platform(s) | PC (Windows 95) |
| Release date(s) | PC:
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| Genre(s) | Flight simulator |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Media/distribution | CD-ROM |
| System requirements
(see specs) |
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Silent Thunder: A-10 Tank Killer II is a flight simulation computer game and the sequel to A-10 Tank Killer, which was directed by Frank Evers (CEO). Both games were made by Dynamix and Sierra produced Silent Thunder. It was made for Amiga and DOS platforms. In the game, the player takes the role of an American A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft pilot who fights in various campaigns across the world in order to keep the peace.
The player character is Jack "Loudmouth" Haggart, a hotshot American pilot trying to make a name for himself in the U.S. Air Force. He starts off as a rookie pilot who steadily rises through the ranks with each military campaign he successfully completes. He takes orders from Commander Garrett, an unseen American officer who informs Haggart of his primary mission objectives. If Haggart completes a mission successfully, Garrett will praise Haggart for his efforts. However, if Haggart fails a mission, Garrett will lose his temper and either criticize or threaten Haggart. Battlefield intelligence is relayed to Haggart by an unnamed intelligence officer. Finally, there is Nightflight, another A-10 pilot who is a good friend of Haggart's. He plays a vital role in the first campaign of the game. There are few other Allied or enemy characters described in great detail throughout the game.
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During the first campaign of the game, Haggart is deployed to the mountainous regions of Colombia in order to combat a Colombian drug lord and banker named Senor Macias. When the campaign starts, Haggart helps the American army to capture a rebel airstrip so that American peacekeepers can set up a base of operations. He later is sent on a series of strikes to cut off the flow of drugs and narcotics throughout the country by destroying two drug labs. Soon enough, the U.S. Army claims that Senor Macias was spotted at his hacienda, so Haggart is sent in to assassinate the drug lord. Althougth the hacienda is left in ruins, along with many groung foces and a communications tower, Macias escapes the attack. Somehow, he learns of the airstrike ahead of time. To make matters worse, Macias hires a large band of Cuban mercenaries to assist his drug activities, so Haggart and other friendly pilots launch a massive airstrike on a drug convoy, a bridge, and an airbase in order to put down the resistance.
Later, Haggart sinks an entire convoy of gunships loaded with a fresh batch of drugs. Soon enough, Macias is tracked down to a small Colombian village called San Lucas. He tries to hide among the civilian population from the American and Colombian authorities. Haggart destroys several key targets and convoys to pave the way for an American search for Macias in the village. Unfortunately, Colonel Garo, one of Macias' top commanders, attacks San Lucas with two armored convoys. In the midst of this attack, Garo declares the Colombian President a traitor for collaborating with American forces. Garo gets dangerously close to taking San Lucas, but fortunately, Haggart destroys both tank columns, and Colonel Garo is subsequently killed. Much to the Army's dismay, however, Macias flees the village during the battle. Finally, a few days after the botched siege of San Lucas, U.S. Intelligence finds out that Macias is trying to escape Colombia with the last of his drug convoys.
Haggart and his friend, Nightflight, are sent in to terminate Macias before he could escape with millions of dollars worth of drugs. However, much to the shock of the player and Haggart, U.S. intelligence discovers that Nightflight is a traitor. He had been assisting Macias the entire time. It is also safe to assume he was the one who tipped off Macias about Haggart's attack on the hacienda. Commander Garrett orders Haggart to terminate Nightflight. After a brief battle, Nightflight is gunned down by Haggart. Haggart eventually kills Senor Macias, and Commander Garrett commends Haggart for stopping the drug lord and offers his condolences for his tragic betrayal by Nightflight.
Medal Awarded: Silver Star
The second campaign takes place in an unnamed region in the Persian Gulf, but most likely either Saudi Arabia or Iraq. The U.S. Army is trying to stop a genocidal warlord named Ali Goni, who happens to be in the possession of a sizeable arsenal of chemical weapons. He plans to use them on various targets across the Persian Gulf. Early in the campaign, Haggart attacks Ali Goni's airbase near a large village called Khaji in retaliation for a MiG attack on the U.S. Carter Airfield. He and a large force of American soldiers then take this airbase and liberate Khaji. Goni sends several convoys and ships in an attempt to take back the city, but Haggart thwarts each attack. Throughout most of the rest of the campaign, Ali Goni tries to attack several other small villages, but Haggart denies him the chance to do so each time. Near the end of the campaign, Ali Goni tries to use SCUD missiles and artillery batteries to do the job, and sends a convoy carrying chemical weapons to eliminate the inhabitants of a village called al-Hajaj.
All of these attacks are foiled by Haggart, and he also attacks a large number of airbases and camps. Finally, the source of Ali Goni's chemical weapons are found at a massive chemical plant producing the yellow cake gas. Goni's head scientist, Dr. Kilgore, is also on site trying to flee the base with more chemical weapons. Haggart disrupts the operation by bombing the chemical plant and pursuing Kilgore's Mercedes-Benz. Although Kilgore had two Hind-class helicopter escorts, none of them were a match for Haggart's onslaught. Haggart then conducts a raid on a large enemy airbase. Finally, U.S. Intelligence informs Haggart that Ali Goni is visiting the chemical facility Haggart had already destroyed, and he is being protected by special forces known as the Farwai Guard. Goni mistakenly believed that the plant was still operational, so Haggart took advantage of Ali Goni's mistake by proceeding to kill the warlord.
Haggart ambushes Goni's convoy in a canyon while avoiding helicopters, artillery barrages, and anti-aircraft vehicles. Despite having a solid defensive force, Ali Goni and the Farwai Guard are wiped out by Haggart, resulting in the success of the Persian Gulf campaign.
Medal Awarded: Air Force Cross
The final campaign of the game takes place in South Korea. A rogue North Korean colonel named Kim Lee, son of General Kim Mo, breaches the 38th Parallel with a large force of loyal units so that he can wreak havoc on the South Korean countryside. His first target is a large village called Chan'won. He tries to blow up the city with a series of artillery bombings, so Haggart is deployed to the countryside to stop this. Haggart succeeds in stopping the artillery barrage, so American and South Korean peacekeepers evacuate Chan'won so that the inhabitants could escape a bloody retaliation. Kim Lee is not finished, however. He sends a large armored convoy and helicopters to seize control of the village and its supply bridge, but both are subsequently destroyed by Haggart. Then Kim Lee does the unspeakable; he tries to launch an ICBM loaded with a nuclear bomb to destroy Chan'won, which puts much of the world at risk of a nuclear fallout.
Much to the world's relief however, Haggart disrupts the launch and saves Chan'won. Despite his failures, Kim Lee refuses to surrender. To disrupt his further plans, Haggart destroys a radio station and raids a major airbase in order to strip Kim Lee of his power, while avoiding direct contact with Kim Lee. To further the war effort, American forces take the enemy-controlled village of Kaesong, and Haggart kills Kim Lee's top three generals in the attack. Finally, Kim Lee attempts to return to North Korea by passing through Chan'won. American forces boxed in Kim Lee's convoy and destroyed the bridges that would have allowed him to escape. General Kim Mo is then authorized to arrest his son in order to end this unauthorized show of force. However, Kim Mo's men betray the general and side with Kim Lee instead, who plans to cover up his escape by launching a nuclear warhead at Chan'won or another high profile target.
Commander Garrett sends Haggart in to destroy the SCUD launcher carrying the warhead and authorized the termination of Kim Lee on General Kim Mo's orders. Kim Mo realizes that the only way to end the crisis is to kill his own son, so he agrees to let the Americans do their job. Haggart disrupts the nuclear launch and soon kills both Kim Lee and his personal escorts. The attack ends the crisis on the Korean Peninsula and Jack Haggart returns to the U.S. as an international hero.
Windows '95, 8 megabytes of RAM, SVGA 640x480 @ 256 colors, Windows compatible soundcard with DAC, Keyboard and mouse
• Developer: Dynamix • Publisher: Havas Interactive • Distributor: Ingram Entertainment