I first played this game in the early 90's. It is my favorite flight sim ever.
The graphics while being hopelessly outdated now were at the time, about as good as they get. The cockpit controls being especially good and the planes themselves were quite impressive. Buildings were merely colored blocks. The trenches were drawn as lines. The trench lines did have a real meaning to game play as well as just to add interest to the scenery. If you were forced to land at the German side of the lines you would be captured.
What I loved about this game, was its realism. It is not an arcade type at all. You start by flying from your airfield and fly to wherever you've been ordered or fancy flying to from ground level. There is the option of speeding up time to save spending hours just sat waiting. Damage you incur can affect climb and turning ability and you can also get engine damage resulting in complete loss of power.
Some people have criticized the lack of speed (most planes fly around 100 MPH ) I think this actually improves the game and makes it more appealing to me than World War 2 or modern jet fighter Sims. The planes don’t just flash past each other in a glance. You can actually get on your opponents
tail and stay there.
There are several different types of mission. Bomber escort, Balloon busting, Search and destroy, Bombing enemy airfields and other. Strafing enemy gun emplacements you even get notes from enemy airmen challenging you to a fight. All in all, plenty of variation to keep you interested.
Your score of kills steadily rises so the campaign element to this game is fantastic. You'll be berated for crashing your machine or not landing on the airfield, this adds to the realism making you want to land properly after you've been up dog fighting. You'll also be taken prisoner if you are forced down on the German side of the lines. You will also get medals for doing well. The campaign element greatly adds to the longevity of this game and makes it extremely addictive. In my opinion the campaign element is what makes this game stand out from other flight Sims.
All in all a fantastic game. I've had many sleepless nights playing this.
