Achtung Spitfire!

Achtung Spitfire!
Developer(s)	Big Time Software
Publisher(s)	Avalon Hill
Designer(s)	Charles Moylan
Artist(s)	Steven Holmes
Composer(s)	Charles Moylan
Platform(s)	Windows 95, Mac OS
Release	NA: September 3, 1997[1]
Genre(s)	Computer wargame
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Achtung Spitfire! is a 1997 computer wargame developed by Big Time Software and published by Avalon Hill. It is a turn-based air combat game taking place during the early half of World War II, including fixed-wing aircraft, air battles and operations by Luftwaffe, Royal Air Force and French Air Force in 1939–1943.

Achtung Spitfire! is a prequel to the 1996 computer wargame Over the Reich, which takes place during the latter half of the war. Another game in the series, Third Reich PC, was also released in 1996. Rather than being designed for serious flight simulation experts, Achtung Spitfire! is catered around the interests of all World War II hobbyists.

Players must command a series of pilots as they try to achieve the goals of the current mission. Technological changes over the years of the war result in faster and better planes to fly in. After choosing the pilots, players must defend their own allies, combat enemy fighters and/or bombers, or undertake an interception mission vital to the war effort. The game uses the same flight engine and graphic user interface as Over the Reich, granting the same amount of limited autonomy in every game. Players must watch their speed, torque and altitude. Otherwise, they could stall or simply crash into the ground.

Many of the flying techniques found in the actual World War II cannot be recreated in this game due to in-game limitations. Players cannot do cover fire techniques and are unable to advance fire towards the enemy. The entire game stops at 1943, which is between the Battle of Britain and the Invasion of Normandy. Scenarios can be quickly generated in a method similar to Jane's Advanced Tactical Fighters.

There is a mini-encyclopedia containing vital information about 25 of the aircraft used in this game. Multiplayer gameplay is possible either through either Internet or play by e-mail.^[2]

Squadrons which survive until 1943 can be transferred to Over the Reich.^[2]

Achtung Spitfire! was developed by Big Time Software and published by Avalon Hill. It was designed by Big Time's Charles Moylan, who had previously created Flight Commander 2 and Over the Reich for Avalon.

Reception
Review scores Publication Score AllGame [3] CGSP [2] CGW [4] GameSpot 7.8/10[5] Next Generation (Mac) [7] PC Gamer (US) 85%[8] PC PowerPlay 80%[9]

The game received favorable reviews. Critics widely agreed that the game is accessible and easy to play,^[2][5] yet offers a rich spectrum of challenges and strategic possibilities.^[2][5][7] GameSpot particularly noted the graduated skill system, saying this solves a common problem of wargames by allowing the player the option of gradually easing themselves into the game's mechanics.^[5] The large number of available scenarios was also praised,^[5][7] though Computer Games Strategy Plus felt the Battle of Britain campaign to be the highlight. The reviewer called Achtung Spitfire! "a very rich wargame, one in which the player's decisions have an immediate and dramatic effect on the outcome."^[2] Next Generation said that the Mac version "isn't breaking new ground, but it is a solid and entertaining game, and a thoughtful diversion from the usually frenetic nature of computer games."^[7]

The game sold fewer than 50,000 units globally. This was part of a trend for Avalon Hill games during the period; Terry Coleman of Computer Gaming World wrote in late 1998 that "no AH game in the past five years" had reached the mark.^[10]

The game was a runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1997 "Wargame Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Sid Meier's Gettysburg! The staff called the former "simply the best Battle of Britain game ever."^[11]

• MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.^[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".^[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.^[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.^[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.^[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.^[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.^[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.^[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.^[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.^[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).^[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,^[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.^[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.^[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.^[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.^[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.^[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.^[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.^[17]

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