Games part of the ace series

This 1986 DOS classic sounds way cooler than it is — ACE: Air Combat Emulator promises combat, but delivers what feels like flying a lawnmower through molasses. Still, for its time, it gave players the thrill of joystick jostling and the joy of watching enemy planes disappear into four jagged pixels. Think of it as the Wright brothers’ ...

In ACE 2 (1987, DOS), you and a buddy can engage in split-screen dogfights so slow they make real air combat look like fast-forwarded ballet. The graphics are simple, but the charm is in the rivalry — few things bond friendships like chasing each other through the skies with barely responsive controls. Not quite “top ace” material...