Heroes of the Pacific (PS2, Xbox, PC)

Realism bales out early in Heroes.

Herald rating: * * *

I am just about over World War II video games and there are a few more new titles from the genre still sitting on my desk unplayed.

Pearl Harbour and the war in the Pacific have already been tapped for all they're worth by game developers, so what does Heroes of the Pacific, a fighter pilot simulator set amid the major air battles of the Pacific conflict, have to add?

Not much on the graphics or story side, but it's easy to play and lines up a good collection of challenging missions that won't take you all afternoon to finish.

Flight simulator purists will snigger at the game controls and the handling of the planes. But it's damn hard learning how to land on an aircraft carrier. Anyway, all we want is a bit of escapism, not Flight School 101, and Heroes delivers.

The story is based on United States Navy pilot hero Crowe who is stationed at Hawaii when the Japanese attack.

Crowe's brother goes down with one of the US frigates in the harbour so the story line follows a slightly vengeful Crowe.

Realism bails out early in the game. Flying too low at one point I bounced off the ground and back into the air.

And, although the main point of view has you following the plane, splashes of oil and bullet-holes appear on the screen as though you're looking through the windshield.

But the explosions are impressive and the sound of your plane's complaining engine will merge with the blast of anti-aircraft guns and the whine of dive-bombing Zeros to good effect.

The scenery is well mapped, with ground terrain detailed and the clouds are convincing.

I like the way old war footage and posters merge into one nice multimedia presentation, although the in-air banter between pilots becomes repetitive.

You don't have to squint at a compass to find out what direction to fly to intercept enemy planes - a big arrow points you in the right direction.

It's like shooting ducks in a barrel on the easier settings but when you start on the more advanced difficulty settings the Japanese fighters are constantly on your tail, bullets thudding into the airframe of your P-40.

Heroes won't do much for jaded fans of flight simulators but its fast pace and easy playing style give it appeal.

(12+) $100