Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey is ground-breaking combat flight simulator developed by Psygnosis that I have very fond memories of and still enjoy today. Set amid a fictitious (but at the time still feasible) conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, the program allowed the player to fly missions for either side using (at the time) state-of-the-art aircraft from each of the opposing arsenals.
From a young age, I fell in love with flight simulators. The sense of freedom of exploration they endowed me with was second to none.

However, I always found early flight sims frustrating and limiting on one count: they generally limited you to one or perhaps a few aircraft to pilot. Then came Birds of Prey and with it the opportunity to select from 40 different aircraft (!) from both Warsaw Pact and NATO. These planes include air-superiority fighters such as the F-15 or Mig-29, ground attack craft such as the A-10 or SU-25, and even transports such as the venerable C-130 Hercules. The controls and handling characteristics of each craft are suitably unique and realistic. So, for example, the Harrier and Yak-25 VTOL fighters can actually hover, land, and take off vertically.
The armaments available are also accurate for the subject matter and quite varied. F-14 Tomcats can carry Phoenix air-to-air missiles with a 100 mile range, the A-10 Warthog sports a devastating 30mm cannon, and the Tupelov bomber can carry either a huge bomb load or air-surface missiles for picking off those pesky NATO aircraft carriers. The mission load is varied, including ones such as air superiority, ground attack, and close support for ground forces. Additionally, the battlefield is always “dynamic” and does not just revolve around the player. Other aircraft, ground and navel forces on both sides busily carry out their missions and battle each other while the player conducts his or her own. Even thought the map and scenery are limited, overall the battle feels like a large scale struggle between the superpowers.
I originally played this game on the Amiga, and I do believe, if memory serves me, that the PC version is not quite as visually appealing as the Amiga one. That being said, there is still a great deal of fun to be had with Birds of Prey, and the somewhat simplistic polygons that make up each aircraft, ground vehicle, ship, and building are more than adequate to still immerse the player in the game world.
While this title will appear quite dated compared to current offerings in the combat flight sim arena, Birds of Prey is still a solid title with many hours of engrossing play to offer any armchair pilot. With its varied missions, huge selection of aircraft, and smooth, realistic flight dynamics, this sim is a must have for any fan of the genre.