It was no contest, really, as the final result proved. While the Zeros could turn and climb more quickly, the Wildcat was faster, could dive more steeply and absorb more punishment. But if you've got the right stuff you'll soon be zapping Zeros because American planes were better. Once in the sky, you'll find the Zeros a formidable enemy - almost invincible at first.

So expect to crash and burn a few times as you master the mechanics of carrier-based flying. Remember that this title is based on Microsoft's flagship Flight Simulator, which is used to train real pilots. The Pacific air war was fought from aircraft carriers, adding the hazardous business of taking off from and landing on ships to what was already a risky business. The first Combat Flight Simulator was set over Europe, where planes took off from airfields. Either way, you'll soon come to appreciate the skill and bravery of these golden boys, many barely out of their teens. Or you can get a new perspective by flying the Zero. You fly a series of missions against Japanese Zeros in superior but less nimble planes. Microsoft's second version of Combat Fighter Simulator, which is set in the Pacific, mirrors this conflict. A senior officer told a gathering of 100 fighter bomber crews charged with attacking the Japanese Pacific fleet: 'If 15 of you get through and hit your target, we'll consider the mission a success.' What cost so many young Allied pilots their lives was the deadly manouevrability of the Japanese Zero fighters, manufactured from a cast-off American design.

WW2 Pacific Theatre Microsoft, PC $109.95 Review: Peter Eley The scene: a briefing aboard an American aircraft carrier during the Battle of Midway during the Second World War.

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