jfk reloaded

i am an enthusiastic student of the jfk assassination, so it was with some excitement that i read of a freeware (technically orphanware) program that simulates the blessed event, jfk reloaded (available here). it's very limited in scope, the interactive part of the game goes for all of 30 seconds and doesn't allow the player to move. the player is a would-be assassin in the sniper's nest on the 6th floor of the texas school book depository. watching the street below, you see the presidential motorcade turn toward the building, approach, turn again and drive away. you have time to squeeze off 5 or 6 shots before it's over.

you're then presented with a replay from any one of a number of angles, which is followed by a ballistics report, showing the angle and trajectory of each shot in relation to the presidential vehicle. then you're awarded a score, which is by far the most bogus part of the game, because the scoring is based on how closely you duplicate the findings of the warren commission, which everyone (excepting the most rabid of patriots) acknowledges was a government whitewash. as an example, you lose points if the first shot hits the target.

if only there were software crackers who shared my sensibilities that could author a patch which allowed shooting from three other positions and based scoring on getting the job done. the company responsible for the program's release last year has apparently gone into hiding, so there's no use hoping that they'll issue it. while the agenda of the program is to support the implausible warren commission findings, in its realism it actually does the opposite. the logistics of the whole event as it actually happened (and as made more obvious by this 3d representation) much more strongly suggest that indeed the fatal head shot most likely came from the famous grassy knoll.

more info here.