Game Review - by Jeremiah Pratt
Interestingly enough fltsims begin to go backwards in time. With gaming companies releasing games dealing in the WWII era. Of the few that are out there. Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator, looks to make an impression in this rejuvenated game genre. One feature that stands out the most is the ease of game play. The controls are easy so you can jump right into combat.

Storyline:
The story is you're a lonely pilot in a force of RAF fighters. There are plenty of planes to choose from 8 in all. Including the P-51D Mustang, which had the highest kill ratio in WWII. Take these planes into combat and crush the German Forces.

Features:
The Features are integrated well. You have a plethora of options to choose. So many you may never see all of them. The install was smooth; I also took not to the Fltsim98 converter. Nothing beats raging battle over Japan, or Paris, or even the states.

Graphics:
The Graphics speak for them selves. The planes are beautifully detailed, capturing the essence of the time. Microsoft should be well known by now for their attention to detail. There are realistic crashes and phenomenal explosions. But what stands out the most is the dynamic plane damage. While you're busy shooting your opponent. Their plane literary falls apart. Right in front of you eyes. You'll also experience gas leaks, smoke streams, and engine fires. The 3d world in which you fly in is also breathing taking. The designers modeled the 3D terrain accurately of Berlin, London, and most of Western Europe.

Sound FX:
The Sound FX are to die for, I enjoyed all the sounds ranging from machine guns, to rockets firing. There is no real sound track to say therefore no comment. Although there are voices and radio messages that were well done.

Gameplay:
The Gameplay, is wicked fun go one on one in Multiplayer dogfight, or take on waves of fighters in quick combat. Which ever you choose: single player, campaign etc. You're bound to have fun, trying to shoot down planes with a machine gun. Also you will experience a slew of different game views. I take a special liking to the virtual cockpit. Were you can look all around outside of your airplane. There's more to the campaigns, which can not be ignored. You get to choose between the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Europe. Each one contains 18 missions in all. You may be thinking that's nice get to the good stuff. The good stuff is the adaptive AI. Which is very high in CFS, the planes adapt to real world environments. Allowing each individual mission not to repeat its self. Plus you will have multiple objections to complete.

Overall:
Ultimately, I enjoyed the depth of CFS. The Campaign missions made me fell like a part of history. The plane effects were excellent. This game has all the elements of great fltsim. I especially appreciated the level of computer AI. Plus the way the game is designed any player ranging in any skill can pick it up.