Wings Of War

Xbox (also on PC); Take2; £39.99; www.take2games.co.uk

By Richard Bell

WINGS Of War puts gamers in the cockpits of more than 25 Allied and German aircraft in huge battles and bombing runs across the sprawling landscape of war-torn Europe.

Players take on wave after wave of enemy aircraft in highly-detailed planes, not to mention lining up their crosshairs on them from anti-aircraft guns mounted on trains, Zeppelins and boats.

Featuring more than 70 stages played out across 13 levels, there’s a vast array of missions, including action-packed military assignments as well as additional, “non-regulation” quests. Throughout the game, players have the opportunity to take bonus missions and accept duels and challenges from jealous rivals in order to gain points and prestige.

Be successful in missions and new options become available that allow planes to be upgraded with new guns, rockets, engine enhancements, armour and colour schemes.

In Campaign Mode, the fun begins with an optional Flight School that gently gets you to grips with your flying machine.

From then on in, the pace never lets up, with the first Newcomer mission giving you a taste of what’s ahead.

Talk about in at the deep end, here’s your first briefing: destroy the fighters; destroy enemy recon planes; provide escort for recon plane; intercept enemy transport; destroy bridges; take recon pictures; destroy anti-aircraft artillery; destroy columns and depots; destroy cannons; prevent aerial offensive; destroy balloon train; oh, and don’t forget to take a prisoner.

Got all that? Good, then chocks away and prepare for missions such as Trench Warfare, Hot Winter, Duel Over The Dam, Summer Offensive and Last Patrol.

Great too is the Instant Action option that serves up a death-match free-for-all, or team-based battles using planes unlocked in Campaign missions.

Graphically the game does not disappoint. All the aircraft are faithfully recreated, landscapes range from the verdant to the snow-capped, and ground targets bear up well to closer inspection just before you strafe them.

VERDICT: A refreshing break from the norm, Wings Of War is a polished piece of vintage gaming that’ll have aerial combat fans on Cloud Nine.

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By George Wright

AFTER two weeks’ action, the wheels on the Olympics band-wagon are almost worn out, so it’s time for a pit stop and quick gear change into the world of Formula One.

Two things never seem to change in F1 — Michael Schumacher wins and each year brings a new release of the action for the PS2.

For addicted fans who just can’t get enough of the super-speed thrills the latest update has been refined, tweaked and packed with all the latest tracks, cars, drivers and info to help fill the gaps between the real deal on TV.

I’ve never been a big fan of racing games, probably because my son laps me with ease, but I gave Sony’s latest a spin — quite a few spins in fact!

All the adrenaline-packed drama of F1 is grid-locked into this neatly-put-together dream game for enthusiasts. Through a variety of modes, there are four difficulty levels, serving up tasty challenges for experienced drivers and gentle appetisers for beginners.

All of the championship’s 18 tracks over four continents can be tackled in Arcade mode with 10 teams and 20 drivers to choose from. In Career mode you become a driver, motor through the ranks then try to topple King Schumacher from his castle.

The graphics are good, with cars and tracks recreated well, even at top speed. A new cornering system introduces a rally-style arrow in mid screen to tell drivers the direction and severity of bends. The arrow is red if you’re going too fast and fades to green as you brake to the optimum speed for a safe corner.

The arrows are a plus point, but general control is a tad unpredictable and often leads to frustrating loss of race positions just as you’re getting to grips with your car.

As well as multi-player action (via multi-tap), on-line Time Attack racing (via network adapter) is included and will add to the game’s lifespan. However, after too many laps and crashes to mention, I’m retiring from F1 and leaving Jenson Button to chase Schumacher’s title.

VERDICT: One for all F1 fans — but I’ll just stick to the highlights on TV.

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