IL2 Sturmovik: The Forgotten Battles (PC)

The only real issue to consider is whether it is worth the upgrade from the original IL2. It's easy to say that this and the last version are very similar... until you play forgotten battles. The keyword is not 'better graphics' here (although that plays a part) but 'better AI'.

The level of intelligence of all the planes, plus changes to the flight model mean that it is now possible to fly *as a squad*. This is especially important with the Russian side, where you will often find yourself against superior planes... if your wingman or senior squad pilots die, the chances of you making it back become much less.

Also new are the actual tactics themselves - at first I couldnt work out why my squad flew the way they did when approaching an enemy - they dont go straight for the enemy. IT took me a few goes to work out that they were actually *thinking* - they were trying to gain a height advantage (if they could) before committing to the main dogfight!

Perhaps the most impressive thing is the way you and your wingman operate as a team - in the original game, it was almost impossible to keep up with your wing leader, but in this game it is, and this makes a real difference: the squad based tactics that this allows really lift the game. Theres loads of little tweaks that make this possible (some more obvious, like the fact that your own squad dont try to shoot the enemy if you are in the way, but others less blatent, such as the fact that your squad seems to pay more time in making sure every plane gets home, rather than just 'shooting down lots of enemy planes' - they will break off and help you much quicker, and this builds a real sense of cameraderie).

I can't see any other combat flight sim even coming *close* for a couple of years - this game is practically a genre in its own right at the moment!

What more can I say, other than to say there is a Battle of Britain upgrade planned, and the fact that there have been a couple of game updates in the recent past (which may fix some of the more negative comments from earlier reviewers).

For those who dont have the original game, theres only this to say:

There's a lot of WW2 games out there, all of which seem to have a dedication to the men and women who lost their lives in the war. How a mindless third person shooter can be a dedication to anything escapes me... more of an insult.

IL2 on the other hand doesnt tackle this issue with a cheesy one liner dedication. It does it by actually creating the atmoshpere of the time, and make you get a sense of what it was like.

It makes you realize how underpowered and fragile the aircraft really were, and how claustrophobic a cockpit was. You really get the impression of your aircraft being something that smells of aviation fuel and belches smoke, rather than a sleek fighting machine. Most of all, it makes you realise how short live really was (particulalry if you choose the IL2!)

Not many games have the level of detail and obvious dedication from the design team to transend technical details, and instead make you have an emotional reaction.

This one does.

S