Voyage of the Valkyrie

Reclaiming the ancient Ø for his Scandinavian ancestors, pioneering game programmer Leo Christopherson takes one or two players to FUGLØY ("Bird Island") to conquer ten castles in aerial combat. Your ship is the Valkyrie; your deadly opponents are bird air forces of FUGLØY, classed from the neophyte Hawks to the powerful and clever Eagles.

The birds are not the only peril. The island itself is a maze of mountain passes and treacherous fog banks. It does not change from game to game, though, and the box includes a worksheet for mapping out the features and safe routes between the castles. Each Norwegian-named castle has a different class of defender in varying numbers -- data provided at the start of each game -- so the best strategy for conquering the island may not be linear. You can speed past a defended castle or engage briefly and escape to refuel. Beware the roving Eagle squadron, though; it takes only one hit with your shields down to end even a veteran pilot's career.