Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe review

Lets face it, Microsoft's Flight Simulator series has never been the most thrill-packed of games.

Fly from A to B and look at the scenery. Where's the action? Where's the excitement? Combat Flight Simulator 3 aims to redress the balance by whisking you back to World War 2 and placing you at the controls of some of the most famous aeroplanes to ever grace the sky.

If you've already donned your flying goggles and are eager for some two-winged action, then you'll appreciate the 'instant action' menu. Simply select which plane you would like to fly, adjust the difficulty levels and chocks away! If you just want to play for an hour or get some quick practice in, the 'instant action' options are a godsend, and provide some top-notch entertainment to boot.

However, if you're in for the long haul, then you'll want to start a full-on campaign. You get to choose whether to be German, British or American, and you can elect to fly fighter planes or bombers.

A novelty in Combat Flight Simulator 3 is the way in which your success and failure in each mission directly affects the war effort of your chosen country. Unfortunately, the lack of any real narrative left me a little under-involved, and I found my interest waning on occasion. Having said that, some of the missions are truly brilliant, and being able to play as pilot or rear-gunner in the bomber planes is a nice touch.

The attention to detail in the game is impressive, too. Over 100 locations in Great Britain, France and Germany are accurately mapped, showing airfields, towns, cities and landmarks, and this really helps maintain interest while you are having to navigate a lumbering bomber to its final destination. Overall, the graphics are excellent, despite some very patchy cockpit interiors and some blurry ground textures at certain altitudes.

Despite its good points, and CFS 3 has many, there's just the last frisson of excitement and overall polish that seems to be lacking. If you're a die-hard flight simulator fan, you might be able to live with the odd niggle here and there, but in my opinion IL2-Sturmovik, which won a Top 50 award back in our March 2002 issue, is a far better buy.