Rock, Paper, Shotgun

When Fighter Squadron: Screamin’ Demons Over Europe touched down in early 1999 it found all the comfiest armchairs in the mess bagsied, all the comeliest WAAFs spoken for, and all the Brylcreem in the local branch of Boots sold out. The previous year European Air War, Jane’s WW2 Fighters, and Combat Flight Simulator had arrived and snaffled everything. Obscurity beckoned until a band of inquisitive erks led by one ArgonV noticed the sim’s mod potential and set to work. The most impressive product of their labours to date – a massive WWI TC  – has just been released in a convenient standalone package. If there’s a better free combat flight-sim available, I’m unaware of it.

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WWI boffins came up with various solutions to the Western Front mud problem – floating roadways, artillery shells that spread sawdust, boots in the shape of boats, snorkels… By far the cleverest though was a device called the Aero Plane. Essentially a winged car made of kindling, piano-wire and old big-top canvas (hence Richthofen’s Flying Circus) these machines allowed soldiers to fight and stay clean. Rise of Flight, the beta of which I’ve been dabbling with for the last couple of days, celebrates this momentous military breakthrough in an uncommonly realistic manner.

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