<s>
Ace	B-Application
(	O
stylized	O
as	O
ACE	B-Application
as	O
acronym	O
for	O
Air	O
Combat	O
Emulator	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
combat	O
flight	O
simulator	O
video	O
game	O
published	O
for	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
VIC-20	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
in	O
1985	O
by	O
Cascade	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
PCW	I-Device
,	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
:	O
Air	O
Combat	O
Emulator	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1985	O
for	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Operating_System
16	I-Operating_System
and	O
VIC-20	B-Device
home	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Martin	O
describes	O
that	O
an	O
advertisement	O
erroneously	O
promising	O
a	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
version	O
forced	O
them	O
to	O
develop	O
it	O
under	O
threat	O
of	O
action	O
by	O
Advertising	O
Standards	O
Agency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Martin	O
recalls	O
that	O
afterwards	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
creative	O
freedom	O
to	O
pursue	O
different	O
ideas	O
for	O
the	O
planned	O
Commodore	O
64	O
version	O
,	O
and	O
after	O
several	O
months	O
of	O
development	O
and	O
a	O
small	O
delay	O
,	O
the	O
C64	O
version	O
called	O
simply	O
ACE	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
version	O
followed	O
the	O
next	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
version	O
was	O
announced	O
and	O
Cascade	O
Games	O
promised	O
a	O
quick	O
delivery	O
with	O
"	O
speed	O
and	O
smoothness	O
exceeding	O
previous	O
simulators	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
sold	O
over	O
half	O
a	O
million	O
copies	O
on	O
8-bit	O
machines	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
port	O
was	O
announced	O
for	O
Amiga	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
ComTec	O
was	O
tasked	O
with	O
porting	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
Amstrad	B-Device
PCW	I-Device
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
(	O
for	O
AmigaDOS	B-Operating_System
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
marketed	O
to	O
America	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
C64	O
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
versions	O
were	O
released	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
US	O
by	O
UXB	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Ace	B-Application
,	O
Cascade	O
Games	O
was	O
infamous	O
for	O
their	O
Cassette	O
50	O
(	O
1983	O
)	O
game	O
compilation	O
that	O
featured	O
simplistic	O
and	O
subpar	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
estimate	O
the	O
production	O
cost	O
of	O
Ace	B-Application
at	O
£40k	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Ace	B-Application
,	O
Cascade	O
moved	O
into	O
mainstream	O
AAA	O
game	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
produced	O
two	O
sequels	O
,	O
Ace	B-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
1987	O
)	O
and	O
ACE	B-Application
2088	O
(	O
1989	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
various	O
other	O
games	O
before	O
closing	O
down	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
version	O
for	O
C16	O
and	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
review	O
of	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
described	O
it	O
similarly	O
,	O
and	O
called	O
it	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
dedicated	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
games	O
,	O
only	O
giving	O
sound	O
a	O
lower	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gamer	O
gave	O
both	O
the	O
C16	O
and	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
version	O
5	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
and	O
described	O
Ace	B-Application
as	O
easy	O
to	O
use	O
and	O
understand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
later	O
noted	O
that	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
the	O
best	O
yet	O
among	O
the	O
available	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Your	O
Commodore	O
criticized	O
the	O
Plus/4	B-Operating_System
version	O
for	O
poor	O
innovation	O
,	O
but	O
scored	O
it	O
highly	O
on	O
gameplay	O
and	O
graphics	O
,	O
describing	O
them	O
as	O
"	O
realistic	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
expanded	O
C64	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
versions	O
received	O
the	O
highest	O
critic	O
attention	O
and	O
praise	O
on	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zzap	O
!	O
64	O
rated	O
Ace	B-Application
90%	O
and	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
most	O
exciting	O
flight	O
simulator	O
on	O
C64	O
to	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commodore	O
User	O
lauded	O
Ace	B-Application
for	O
having	O
found	O
the	O
right	O
balance	O
between	O
simulation	O
and	O
action	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Your	O
Computer	O
gave	O
Ace	B-Application
4/5	O
points	O
calling	O
it	O
a	O
simulation	O
that	O
would	O
appeal	O
to	O
arcade	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
reviewers	O
regarded	O
Ace	B-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
available	O
flight	O
simulators	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
also	O
negatively	O
remarked	O
upon	O
the	O
inclusion	O
of	O
Lenslok	B-Device
copy	O
protection	O
system	O
where	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
display	O
a	O
garbled	O
image	O
and	O
the	O
player	O
would	O
need	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
provided	O
colored	O
lens	O
to	O
view	O
the	O
two-letter	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retro	O
Gamer	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
notorious	O
Lenslok	B-Device
"	O
in	O
retrospect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
sold	O
at	O
bargain	O
prices	O
,	O
bundled	O
with	O
Ace	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
received	O
several	O
retrospect	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zzap	O
!	O
64	O
gave	O
Ace	B-Application
67%	O
and	O
felt	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
original	O
reviewer	O
's	O
opinions	O
held	O
true	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
did	O
not	O
stand	O
up	O
to	O
time	O
,	O
with	O
graphics	O
being	O
tacky	O
and	O
sparse	O
and	O
having	O
programming	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commodore	O
Format	O
rated	O
the	O
Ace	B-Application
and	O
Ace	B-Application
2	I-Application
bundle	O
at	O
89%	O
calling	O
it	O
an	O
"	O
indisputable	O
bargain	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
