Great aerial action
If you're looking for a pure seat-of-the-pants flying sim that is absolutely packed with exhilarating action and intense dogfights, then this has to be at the top of your list. It was originally intended as a massive online community, with players from all over the world duking it out in the skies but unfortunately, this option is no longer available. What remains however, is an enjoyable combat sim that pits you against AI-controlled fighters in European and Pacific theatres of war. There's not much more to the game that deathmatch-style combat but to be honest, it doesn't really need anything else, as this core gameplay is so well put together that it is never less than immensely entertaining. There is almost 100 WWII-era planes to jump into, ranging from bombers to fighters and tank killers and cargo craft from five different nations, all of which are modelled authentically and offer their own unique challenges in their flying. The original online version offered a multitude of options for different play styles and was supported by a strong community but as this is all gone, playing Fighter Ace 3.5 feels a bit hollow. It's still a great deal of fun, but the AI pilots are never going to live up to taking on human ones and the sense of camaraderie is obviously non-existent. The visuals are still pretty decent, with a great sense of speed and well detailed models for the aircraft, and really the game's only downfall is its weak sound and lack of documentation which can make it a bit tricky to get into. Apart from this though, and the lack of online options and missions, this is still a great piece of aerial action.
