Developed by Gang of Five in 1986, Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future is a simple run-and-gun platform shooter based on the famous character from Britain’s famous science fiction comic, Eagle.

I say “simple” because the gameplay is exactly that. You’re running (and gunning), shooting Treens, and trying to find pieces of an explosive device – needed to defeat The Mekon.

Dan himself looks the part – half 1940s RAF pilot, and half futuristic space adventurer – but in all honesty it could be anyone running around with that gun. The game doesn’t really stand out as anything other than the generic shooter it is and it’s a bit of a waste of a Dan Dare license in my opinion. I loved the surreal Dan Dare stories of 2000AD in the late ’70s, and was intrigued enough to buy this game back in 1986, but it did not live up to my expectations.

Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future is an interesting game, but a little too lightweight to be considered a ‘classic’. It spawned a couple of sequels: Mekon’s Revenge, and The Escape.

More: Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future on Wikipedia