Red Baron II review (PC)

The most impressive aspect of the simulation is its mission generator. Missions are created on the fly, and if you're of sufficient rank you can alter waypoints, crew assignments, and so on. The environment is very rich - as you make your way toward the target, you'll often encounter flights on unrelated missions. This makes for some interesting decision-making: Bombers are heading in the direction of your airfield - do you go after them or continue on your own mission? Assuming you make the right decisions and stay alive, you'll advance in rank and move on to better equipment. You'll also find single missions, complete with an editor for creating your own, and an instant-action mode.

Multiplayer combat is supported over Sierra's World Opponents Network, but like many Red Baron II pilots, I was unable to get it to work at all. Those who do get it to work successfully often report that you must exit and reload the game after each mission. Patches are in the works to smooth out multiplayer play, but there's no excuse for shipping the program with a major feature in such shoddy condition.

The graphics engine is a mixed bag. If you don't have a 3D card, you'll likely be impressed with the frame rate on P166-or-faster PCs. Aircraft look good, and the terrain's not bad at altitude. Owners of 3D cards will be disappointed to find that there's no 3D support in the simulation, although it's planned - you got it - in a patch due in a few months. Sound is superb, from the creaks your plane makes if you stress its airframe to the air raid sirens and church bells that sound during air raids.

Red Baron II has a lot to offer, but its rushed shipment makes for a game that's appealing only to those sim fans willing to deal with quirks and inconsistencies while awaiting patches. It's not the plane crash that Pro Pilot is, however, and many gamers will find it worth putting up with the weird flight models, somewhat dated graphics, and program bugs in order to experience its challenging enemy AI and rich, historically accurate combat arena.