European Air War
$19.95		(Win95/98/Me/XP) (Retail) (EUROAIRWPR)
$14.95		(Win95/98/Me/XP) (Paper Sleve) (EUROAIRWPO)

Microprose

Game

ESRB Rating: Everyone - Animated blood and violence

Ratings:

9 out of 10 from Cyber Gamer

20 Flyable Planes

The long-awaited sequel to the critically acclaimed and award-winning 1942: The Pacific Air War.

Defend the skies over England, engage in ferocious combat above France and fight off Messerschmitts in a critical bombing mission.

Detailed, authentic cockpits and flight models for 20 flyable fighter aircraft.

Quick Start mode for instant dogfighting combat, Single Mission mode with a wide variety of mission types to choose from, and Pilot Career modes in the Battle of Britain or the European mainland war.

Dynamic campaign missions with persistence from mission to mission.

Embark on a campaign as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Force, the British Royal Air Force or the German Luftwaffe in Pilot Career mode and assume greater control of your squadron over time.

Multiplayer dogfights via direct connection, modem and network.

Captures the spirit and nostalgic feeling of the World War II era.

Requirements:

Requirements: 133MHz Pentium with 3-D graphics accelerator or 166MHz Pentium, Windows 95 or higher and DirectX 6 (included), 32MB RAM, Super VGA graphics (640x480 x 256 colors), quad speed CD-ROM drive, hard drive (5MB free + 45MB swap file)

Recommended: 200MHz Pentium II or faster, 64MB RAM, 3-D graphics accelerator (Direct3D or 3Dfx Voodoo), 8x speed CD-ROM drive, hard drive (200MB free), DirectX compatible sound card, joystick.

Required for Multiplayer Option: Windows 95 compatible 28.8 kps modem or faster, Local area network with IPX or TCP/IP protocol, Internet play requires a true TCP/IP connection.

Reviews:

Cyber Gamer, January 1999

"Taking to the electronic skies and simulating air combat during the most dangerous days of World War II seems to be the latest craze once again. Gone and, it had seemed, forgotten, and overrun with modern jet combat, now a major air offensive being launched by several game companies is filling the electronic skies with virtual aircraft from WW II yet again. The list is mounting; several new sims will be released in late 1998 and most of 1999. We'll be wowed with the latest technology, more realistic flight models, better graphics all around and even better game artificial intelligence from Interactive Magic (Warbirds 2.01), Ocean/Infogames (Fighter Duel 2.0), Psygnosis (Wings of Destiny and Nations), SSI (Luftwaffe), Activision (Fighter Squadron). The two that are going to duke it out for the ace of WW II air combat sims are going to be Jane's Combat Simulations with Janes's WW II Fighters, and MicroProse with European Air War. European Air War comes out with a strong showing and is the main focus here.

"EAW may seem at first to be "more of the same" in a sea of WW II sims, but this sequel to 1942 The Pacific Air War is an exciting new simulation that has all the flavor of its predecessor with the added punch of today's hardware abilities. With the right machine this game will really take off and be a longtime playing favorite on many a combat sim pilot's hard drive. While the system requirements state that you can play European Air War on a Pentium 133 with a 3D graphics accelerator, they don't tell you that you may not enjoy the experience. On lower-end machines, with the graphic options turned to the lowest setting, it can end up a slide show with some 36 or more aircraft in the air. I suggest at least a Pentium 200 for full enjoyment. Even that may be conservative."

"A welcome newsreel feature is included and has some wonderful historical film footage and narration - great shots of aircraft of the time as well as some combat footage of both air-to-air and air-to-ground attacks. Any history buffs in the crowd will enjoy this. Aside from the game itself, this is my favorite to examine over and over again.

"The game also features multiplayer via dogfights and cooperative missions via direct connection, modem and network Internet or TCP/IP. Players can select either co-op play or go head to head in competitive missions. The multiplayer options support up to eight players on a LAN. How European Air War will be received by the veterans of countless multiplay air-to-air combat games is yet to be seen. Perhaps its biggest handicap will be the number of players able to play at once.

"Still not sure? Go ahead, fly before you buy, get the demo at www.microprose.com.

"The bottom line is that the game is a masterpiece of elements that make it just plain (or should that be "plane"?) fun. European Air War is one sophisticated historical flight simulation, a true cadillac of WW II sims."

Copyright © 1993-2000 CDAccess.com, Inc.
Questions: info@cdaccess.com