Undemanding and basic flying action
Any flight sim fans tempted to check this out based on the title and the cover artwork might want to take second thoughts, as this isn't a true sim but is instead a more arcade-oriented game, similar to Afterburner or a very basic Strike Commander. If that's more your cup of tea, this might be worth checking out but however you look at it, it is far from being a great game. On paper, it sounds good enough, with a choice of four planes to jump into and with 24 Middle East-set missions to fly which comprise a variety of styles, from escort and patrol duties to full-on assaults and dogfights. Throw in a multi-player mode and you're good to go. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out that way and although the game isn't terrible by any means, its lack of personality renders it rather bland. In its favour, Fighter Pilot is certainly quite an attractive game, with decent graphics that have a good level of detail and which certainly zip by at a high enough rate. The controls are simple enough and highly accessible, but lacking in realism which, depending on your perspective, can be either a good or bad thing. The missions aren't overly varied despite appearances and are not particularly challenging either and if you're looking for accurate physics and tactics this is going to be a let-down, but if your expectations are lower, you won't be disappointed. The bottom line is that there's little in the way of authenticity to be found here, but if you just want some undemanding flying action to while away a couple of hours, you're in the right place. Approached from this perspective, Fighter Pilot is a fun little game.
