Arcade games have always dominated the gaming market, and the king of the arcade games is the flight simulator, a diversion that remains popular even as many shoot-'em-up games seek out the youth market.
There's an almost cult-like group of gamers that creates Web pages, code names, and multiplayer games in tribute to favorite flight simulators. However, these games are typically the hardcore, technically accurate kind of simulators that don't connect with the playing masses.
Now along comes Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 2: WW II Pacific Theater (FS2).
A while back, I reviewed FS2's predecessor. I gave it a glowing review, not only because of its action-packed flying and dogfights, but also because it was just plain fun. One thing I love about FS2 is that it's a throwback flight simulator. Many flight simulators based on modern combat involve the use of high-tech weapons, radar, and navigation. Those commodities have their place, but when a dogfight boils down to firing one missile at the opponent, the game can lose some luster. Not true for the FS2 gamer. In these dogfights, you are forced to get up-close with opposing pilots and pick them apart with your machine guns.
Dogfighting is not the only combative aspect of this flight simulator. At times, your combat missions may entail flying cover for a sortie of your own bombers, or attacking land targets. Variety also comes in the form of different planes; FS2 boasts seven new combat aircraft, each equipped with a virtual cockpit that comes alive with working gauges and dynamic lighting effects. I cannot express the excitement and difficulty of plopping your damaged, sputtering aircraft onto the flight deck of an aircraft carrier after a wicked dogfight in the Pacific skies. It's really a thrill.
FS2 is a plug-and-play flight simulator. After browsing the manual and completing the training missions, I was able to jump into action and be competitive. The training missions are an excellent way to learn how to play the game because each training session focuses on specific skills such as landing, aerobatics, and air-to-air combat. A flight instructor talks you through the procedures, accelerating your ability to get into the game and fly with the big boys. But don't be fooled by the ease with which you become airborne; you soon learn in "real" combat that enemy Zeros will make Swiss cheese of the overconfident pilot.
You need a 266MHz PC with 32MB of RAM and 350MB of hard disk space to play FS2. If you want to play with the advanced graphics feature, you will need a 3D graphics card with at least 4MB of RAM. For more information on FS2, see the game's Web page www.Microsoft.com/games/combatfs2/ .
