B-24 Combat Simulator
Old yet still playable bomber sim; well detailed
B-24 is part simulation, part arcade action game, and in it you get the chance to experience the WWII activities that took place in Ploiesti, a town in Romania. There are several layers to the game; on one of them you are a pilot, on another you are a co-pilot on another you are a navigator and also, you will be able to play as an engineer. Also, another minigame offers you the ability to be a bombardier. These layers are all akin minigames, yet they are kept together by the game's build, which has them all connected. Thus, the better you perform at one task, the better your chances of finishing the others the right way. Graphically, it is a pretty non exceptional game, with 2D top down and text based interfaces for the minigames; but, for the early sim heavy games of the 80s, and for the lovers of these productions, I'm pretty sure it's going to be rather enough. Still, the game doesn't lose a lot of depth because of it, and also, it maintains it's historical veracity, which is also a thing worthy of applauses. Else, download Knights of the Sky, a WWI flight sim this time, much more playable and fun.
Technical simulation of WWII air raids
Here's a very different take on a little known campaign of the WWII: The Ploesti Raids, which played a significant but not necessarily vital part in the Second World War conflagration. The game is a very technical simulation. You won't get no action sequences, no eye candy or other such nonsense. Instead you get a control screen in which you are tasked with supplying the right B-24 planes with the required bombs and also, make sure that the formations were following orders. The game's graphics are functional: you get a two color scheme and a few different menus from which you can control each aspect that the game simulates. The game managed to simulate how the lack of information could potentially influence the outcome of tactical decisions. Thus, the game delays offering you feedback and, at times, you have to take decisions based on instinct or on information that might not be official or confirmed. At any rate, the game has an experimental feel and an attitude that will delight some and aggravate others, but it definitely is original and doesn't really feel like any other game in the same genre. If you want a more graphical approach to the same type of game, try Strike Force Harrier. It was a lot more arcade in its approach and thus a lot easier on novices.
