Pacific Fighters review

If you'd always dreamt of being a World War II fighter pilot, there was no better way of realising your dreams than buying a copy of the gobsmackingly good IL-2 Sturmovik.

Until now, that is. Pacific Fighters is the latest game in the IL-2 series, and as the title suggests, switches the theatre of war to famous battles, such as Midway, Okinawa and Pearl Harbor.

Realism is the game's watchword, so you'll find loads of authentic fighters and bombers ready and waiting for you to hop into and soar through the air. There's also no need to panic if you've never flown before - whether virtually or in real life - as it includes a comprehensive range of training missions to get you acquainted with take off, landing, dog fighting and challenging tasks, such as landing on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean.

A range of settings, including infinite gun ammo, infinite fuel and flying the plane from an external, third-person perspective, help lower the steepness of the difficulty curve for novices. Go for 'realistic' when you're still a novice, and you'll quickly find yourself ending up in a pile of burning wreckage. If you don't manage to pilot your aircraft smoothly enough, you'll find your engine stalling. Try too many acrobatic feats and you'll black out - and as you can imagine, piloting a plane while unconscious is none too easy. Getting airborne and landing in one piece is enough of a challenge, especially with the game set to its most realistic. When you get it right, though, it's very satisfying.

Making your own campaigns is easy, and whether you want a quick one-on-one dogfight or a sky full of enemies to shoot down, it's easily arranged. If you have more time on your hands, getting engaged in historic battles (like Midway) is an incredible experience - although sometimes it can take a few minutes just to fly to your destination. It's also a shame that very occasionally your fellow pilots can become a little too suicidal and career into mountains or hills.

Pacific Fighters is another fine episode in the IL-2 Sturmovik series. If you're still a little unsure whether dogfighting is for you, the original I-2 Sturmovik and its successor, Forgotten Battles - now both available for a tenner each - are a better place to start. If, on the other hand, you're a cockpit veteran looking to extend your air time, Pacific Fighters will have you dogfighting and dive-bombing with a grin stretching from ear to ear.