Published:
Summary
Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future (1986) sent Britain's square-jawed space hero into a race against the Mekon, whose hollowed-out asteroid was aimed straight at Earth. The Spectrum and CPC versions mixed exploration, shooting, puzzles, and comic-book atmosphere, while the C64 took a noticeably different route with its own structure and interaction system. Dan dodged Treens, hunted useful items, and worked against the clock with very little hand-holding. Colourful, adventurous, and occasionally baffling, it captured the Eagle comic spirit with plenty of 8-bit swagger.
What it does well
Strong comic atmosphere, colourful graphics, varied objectives, memorable villain, and rewarding exploration across surprisingly substantial environments.
Where it falls short
Sparse guidance, confusing objectives, unforgiving time pressure, and version differences meant some players received the stronger adventure.
Verdict
A colourful, ambitious comic-book adventure that mixed action and exploration while giving each computer its own distinctive flavour.
Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future - version notes
Version-specific observations from the gameplay video. Tap a time to jump straight to that moment.
Amstrad (3 Beats)
- Five lives to save the world: Unlike the Spectrum version's capture-and-escape system, the CPC edition gives Dan five lives.
- Cross that bridge: Digby has been captured inside the Mekon's base. To rescue him, Dan must collect boxes scattered around the complex and use them to construct a bridge to reach his imprisoned companion.
- Run, Dan, run: The CPC's Dan moves extremely quickly, with very little turning animation.
Commodore 64 (4 Beats)
- Hands-on: Running into a guard switches the game into a dedicated boxing sequence where Dan can change his guard and throw punches.
- Daringly different: Although the Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and C64 versions share the same licence and basic storyline, the Commodore 64 edition is a substantially different game.
- Reduced pace: Exploration is mixed with puzzles and item collecting as Dan works his way from the asteroid's surface, through subterranean areas and eventually into the Mekon's base.
- For Frank: The game was dedicated to Dan Dare creator Frank Hampson, who had died on 8th July 1985.
Spectrum (3 Beats)
- Comic authenticity: this version captured the spirit of the original Eagle strip particularly well, with important events triggering caption boxes, while the Mekon taunts Dan on a small monitor.
- Colour me impressed: Rather than avoiding colour to escape the Spectrum's infamous attribute clash, Dan Dare cleverly embraced it.
- Screen test: it's estimated that the adventure has around 125 to 130 screens, spread across a maze of rooms, platforms, corridors and lifts.