L is for Liftoff: Micro Drones leaves Early Access. Lugus marked 1.00 by equipping their moreish tiny whoop sim with a track builder, two new maps, and an extra flyable. Just about the only significant things this £16 delight lacks now is wind simulation (in the pipeline) and flypaper.

M is for Maritime madness

Unsurprisingly, quirky simulationists PlayWay have a hand in 30 Days on Ship. Is the promising premise – Cast Away but on a container ship loaded with heaven knows what – undermined by tedious survival mechanics, heavy scripting, or shallow physics? A newly released demo should provide clues.

N is for Nautic XP trial available

You wouldn’t know it from its Steam page, but a Nautic XP demo dropped a fortnight ago. Available from the official site, the trial is sure to interest Astragon Development, the team behind rival ‘coming soon’ ship sim, Seafarer. Unlike Seafarer, Nautic XP reproduces a recognisable rectangle of brine and coastline – a 60 km x 110 km bit of the Baltic centred on Germany’s largest island – and looks likely to feature fishing, towing, useful night skies, and mod support from the outset.

O is for Overlord with a difference

Brian Kelly’s second WEGO wargame – Stalingrad – has garnered just eight reviews since launching on Steam on June 25. I doubt a THC review wouldn’t make a great deal of difference to its profile, but I’m tempted to do one all the same as I’m keen to find out whether Desert War’s weaknesses have been addressed. Undergoing beta testing at present, the third title in the series tackles an op that was first WEGOed over thirty years ago.

P is for Pondering ‘Police Week’

Firefighting Week was such an ‘outstanding success’*, I’m contemplating a sequel focused on the boys and girls in blue. Games likely to feature would include The Precinct, SWAT Commander, Beat Cop, and From Fire Emergence. Coverage of The Police Mystery is improbable but not completely out of the question.

* To my knowledge, no-one cancelled their subscription because of it.