MiG Alley - PC Games

If you have a 3-D accelerator card, MiG Alley's graphics are impressive and the sound effects satisfy. The real appeal, though, is the game's convincing flight model. Most dogfights during this period were fought at extremely high altitudes where air density is an oxymoron, and MiG Alley does a terrific job of conveying the slippery precariousness of turning in such conditions (according to the accounts we've read by Korean War pilots). One wrong move and you're tumbling earthward, effectively turning yourself into a big fat bull's-eye.

The historical differences between the MiG-15 and the F-86 are also modelled well, as the Russian-built jet trades manoeuvrability for power while the American plane is nimble but can't keep up with the MiG in a climb. Dogfights are only half the story, however, since you also can go on ground-pounding missions to take out enemy installations, trains and other critical enemy equipment. Entire campaigns based around bomb runs are available, and those missions are just as tense and fun as the sorties involving aerial combat. You can even direct the entire air campaign, assigning air and ground targets to flights as you try to manage your resources to stem the ceaseless wave of planes and equipment coming from the north. Whether you crave quick action or would like to savour the strategy elements present in MiG Alley, no combat flight simulator fan should be without a copy. --T. Byrl Baker