A - Long Term Shelf Life
B - Deserves Another Play
C - Once Should Suffice

ACE COMBAT 2

Lingering around the military theme, Ace Combat 2 takes the art of war to the skies. A fair amount of missions send you into enemy territory, shooting down fighters, destroying ground defense and nailing aircraft carriers to an energetic selection of rock music. The settings take you through scenery like snowcapped mountain ranges, narrow canyons and harbour cities. The variety of jets at your disposal increases as you progress, giving you access to anything from an F16 to the excellent Stealth Bomber. Build up your fleet and select whichever one you need to get the job done as their stability, handling, ammo and speed will differ quite substantially. Your funds deplete as you purchase these planes, but for each successful mission you'll get fiscal reward and climb up the rank ladder, thus becoming a war pig in no time (if you've got the skills, that is). At least it's all play-play and no-one really gets hurt (everyone besides your control on repeated throwing down when a certain stage cannot be overcome). The flight simulation is cool with fairly realistic (as far as I know) jet features, control & handling. Upon accomplishing a mission or getting snuffed, you'll get a multi-camera playback of your victory or demise. Landscapes can become a bit pixelated, but seeing as you're meant to focus on the jet ahead of you, it blends fine into the background. At first you might seem a little despondent to get used to handling your plane, but once you've got the hang of it, you'll just want to keep on going and going to see what else there is in store for you (or the poor suckers tasting your heat seekers).

4 / B
- PB

ACE COMBAT 2 in Afrikaans...
Hierdie vlug simulasie spelletjie neem jou op 'n verskeidenheid militere sendings. Soos jy vorder kry jy ekstra vaartuie tot jou beskikking (amper 2 dosyn) - maar jy moet jouself eers beproef. Dit neem 'n rukkie om gewoond te raak aan die kontroles ('n "joystick" sal definitief beter wees), maar na 'n paar probeerslae sal jy nie sommer in die berge vasvlieg of afgekiet word nie ! Dit is taamlik realisties met 'n volle sending opdrag sessie voor elke vlug. Die landskap verander gedurig met 'n paar verrassings as jy nie mooi luister na jou befelvoerder se opdrag nie. 'n Enorme informasie bron is beskikbaar, van jou vyand se vliegtuie tot 'n finansiele "rekening" wat jy moet dop hou indien jy vliegtuie verloor of beskadig. 'n Geheue kaart sal baie help om te verhoed dat jy elke slag van voor af moet begin.

4 / B
- PB

ACE COMBAT 3 - Electrosphere

A corporate regime has taken over. It's the future, as you might have guessed. There are two rival companies each specializing in opposite spheres of military (General Resources Ltd.) and technology (Neuwork). Conflict brews between the two companies and as a pilot of the peace enforcement organization under the Neo United Nations, you need to subdue the boiling pot. The mission styles you face this time round include ground attacks, dogfights, low-altitude canyon races, high altitude chases and time-restricted landings, as well as dicey take-offs, landings and refueling. The graphics development improved quite a bit, while the 18 planes at your disposal (as you progress) make for quite an eventful flight sim. The advantage and sensitivity of the Dual Shock makes quite a difference and if you don't own one as yet, best you invest a little in your gaming future and acquire one (or two). The controls are a bit hard to grasp at first, but I know that's never deterred anyone. Ace Combat 3 is an exciting flight simulator with serious firepower, making it more than just a sight seeing glide.

5 / A
- PB

It's 2198 and Arcadia is overrun by creepy mutant creatures wiping out whatever crosses their path. To stop their spreading destruction, you have to wipe them out and destroy the alien craft after investigating its purpose. The mean fighters under your control is Major Kelly Doyle and Sgt. Reno J. Washington. The arcade feel to this game will please fans of this type of game. It's your basic scrolling scenario with your characters running and blowing away the aliens in their path, collecting power-ups. Not highly original, but what is to be expected? A fine little arsenal can be collected and you can select whichever gun for the purpose. As your ammo runs out, it refills slowly while you're blasting away with another weapon. I played it in the highest Psycho Mode, but with your weapon upgrades, they don't really stand a change, thus, challenge-wise it doesn't have a whole lot to offer. With a retro atmosphere instilled in me (harking back to such cheesy 8-bit gems like Contra), at least the graphics aren't too bad in relation to the cliche'd concept and gameplay. Some areas prove annoying to as you seem stuck without asy means of continuing. Assault is perfect for a quick wind-down, but nothing too memorable or significant enough to relay verbal conquests with your friends or fellow gamers. In stead of persistance, it just makes you want to switch off and slap in...

2 / A
- PB