From the moment a player first views the opening movie when starting Red Baron II, he is instantly captivated by the drama of early aviation combat from the Great War. This meticulously-crafted AVI sequence depicts the thrill of the dogfight and the ultimate doom of one of its participants. It is accompanied by a haunting score that sets the mood for the forthcoming adventure. Red Baron II makes use of vignetted, black and white movies throughout many of the setup menus, which are all framed by black white stills of the era.

Although the first option from the Main Menu lets you get right into the heart and soul of the game, flying a mission, a user would be remiss in skipping the setup screens, as this is where the experience of a company that has developed three award-winning historical flight sims really shines. From the Main Menu, the user can review over 60 pilot dossiers from the British, German, French, and American services in an "electronic hard-cover book" format. The dossier book appears with a thud sound, and other sounds accompany the flipping of pages that are so real, they give the feel of aged parchment between the fingers. A brief dossier of each pilot is displayed along with a list of their victories, some requiring several pages.

There is an Object Preview center where the player can inspect German and Allied planes, from the Handley Page 0/400 heavy bomber, to the superb Fokker D. VII fighter. A variety of ground force elements (trains, tanks, observation towers, artillery guns, etc.), and over 30 structures (hangars, bridges, factories, bunkers, etc.) can be examined here in a 3D virtual reality format. A control pad allows the user to rotate objects about a 360-degree axis and allows unlimited magnification. For even closer examination, a specifications area provides textual detail on every object. After spending a couple of hours in this section, a player may eventually move into flying a campaign or a single mission. Either way, the thoroughness of the pre-flight preparation is an indication of the effort that went into the game to recreate an authentic simulation experience.

In a campaign, the first order of business is a Pilot Log, where the player enters vital personal stats such as name, rank, and enlistment date. This log keeps track of hours flown, victories, and medals earned. In the Squadron Ops. area, dossiers are available for all pilots in your squadron. A Kill Board that tracks all squadron victories, and other information such as squadron insignia and aircraft, is available from the Local Squadrons book. A book of personnel transfers between squadrons is kept here, and there is an option for ranking pilots to customize their planes.

The Intelligence area provides a list of the top aces, a book of ace profiles, a listing of local enemy squadrons, and intelligence reports on enemy and friendly squadrons operating in the region. The Intelligence Room even features flickering black and white film footage that makes us forget we are viewing it on a state-of-the-art personal computer.

The Sim Comes To Life
It is 8:15 in the morning as members of Escadrille Sp. 154 (French Fighter Squadron) assemble in the briefing room of the Auve Aerodrome in northern France. Our mission is to escort a flight of bombers that are attacking infantry formations 37 km further north. However, our flight plan will cover 80 km one way, taking us in a u-shaped pattern so we approach out of the morning sun directly from the east. Our flight leader, Capitaine Coiffard, reviews the waypoints we will follow. We will depart at 0830 and climb to an altitude of 500m AGL (above ground level). Along the way the escort will eventually climb to an altitude of 4500m MSL (mean sea level). Our bombers will remain at 2500m where they will unleash their payload. As Coiffard speaks, we all mark our maps with the planned route. We then review our en route formation. I, Sous Lieutenant Charles Boulet, am flying the 3rd position, 45 degrees behind the left wing of the lead. My squadron and I are flying in six Spad VIIs. Finally, we review available reconnaissance information and photos before we make our departure for, perhaps, one more successful mission, or possibly, never to return.

Red Baron II evokes an emotional response from the historical flight sim aficionado, to the point where participation becomes a personal experience. No matter where in the world you sit at your computer with joystick in hand, Red Baron II instantly transports you somewhere just behind the front lines, into a time of trench warfare, where, on the ground, soldiers wallowed ankle deep in mud as they attempted to advance in Three Rank Napoleonic Formation toward the enemy. But it is overhead where the skies are filled with black bursts from the flak guns below. Where tracers arc upward from enemy emplacements. Where you pick your way along a river route, banking east as you reach the second bridge waypoint on your way to reducing an enemy factory to rubble. 

There are several ways to fly in Red Baron II. Select a single mission, participate in an entire campaign, or challenge the top aces of the day in a head-to-head duel. In single mission mode, you choose which mission to fly. There is an option to edit the service and squadron in which you fly. Fly alongside the Red Baron himself in the Jasta 11 squadron, or hunt Zeppelins with the famous 56 Squadron. A historically authentic map allows you to select the targets for the mission. You might, for example, decide to run a bombing raid on an Allied aerodrome or heat up your machine guns on German infantry depending on the priorities you set.

Red Baron II provides a living world with historical squadrons, aerodromes, cities, factories, supply depots, and more. Missions are determined with the campaign artificial intelligence every time a mission is called up. What this means is bomber squadrons will be able to find the best target within range (best being determined by how well it's defended and what it provides for the enemy), and fighter squadrons will decide to fly escort missions, ground attack missions, or combat air patrols (to name a few). Targets that have 
been destroyed and squadrons that have been shot up affect who will fly against what each time a new mission is required.

Campaign mode puts you into Red Baron II for the long haul. Enlist early and, assuming you're good enough, watch your list of victories and medals build. As you progress through a campaign, you will be assigned to missions appropriate for your squadron. As a member of one of the elite air fighting organizations of your country you will be called upon to risk everything to accomplish that mission - whether it is escorting bombers or attacking enemy recon craft.

It is easy to get carried away during the action of a dogfight. It is also easy to forget the physical limitations of aircraft built over 80 years ago. But you'll soon be reminded as you hear the creaking of a wing strut undergoing the strain of a steep bank. If your plane is hit while flying through the Archie (British slang for anti-aircraft fire), you'll hear the realistic impact of metal tearing through the skin of your fuselage. 

This is not to say that your aerobatics maneuvers will be dull. Quite the contrary. With enough practice, you will learn to confuse an attacker with a barrel roll, or go on the offensive with an Immelmann Turn. The loop, retournment, and split-s are all part of the repertoire. It is important, however, to appreciate the specifications of each airplane and fly within its capabilities.

There are also the physical limitations of the human body which are depicted in Red Baron II. Pull too many G's in a steep climb and you'll start to black out. If you happen to take a bullet in the body and still live, you'll notice a loss of vision as you fade in and out of consciousness. Hopefully you will manage to stay alert long enough to reach a safe landing strip. If you fly directly into the sun, the glare will temporarily blind you. Sorry, no tinted goggles are available. However, you can use the sun to your advantage, just the way the crack pilots used to. 

There is no more intense experience than that of dogfighting action. In Red Baron II, all of the sounds and graphics combine to make this experience as real as possible. The adrenaline first begins to pump when an enemy airplane, no bigger than a single pixel on the screen, first appears in the distance. Then two, three... five, six pixels appear, and as they near, you begin to hear the low droning of their engines. You know you've been spotted when they break formation and each plane begins an individual tactic intended for your squadron's demise. As bullets fly from your machine gun, they trace a perfect arc through the air. If they are on target and you're close enough to see, they trace a perfect arc across your enemy's fuselage. If your plane is equipped with two forward-facing machine guns, the bullets will meet about 100 feet in front of your plane. If your plane is equipped with incendiary devices, you'll see the trails of smoke they leave behind. You will also hear their impact even after they are long out of sight.

Red Baron II has been a long time in the making, but, according to the game's Producer, Neil Haldar, it should be well worth the wait. "Over 35,000 man hours of art, programming, design, and research have gone into the development of Red Baron II. More than 20 people have been involved in the direct development, with many more acting in support," he said. "The primary goal is yet to be realized, but is well on its way... that is, to create the best combat flight simulation ever seen for the personal computer... and to actually make a game that is even better than the original Red Baron."

Red Baron II stands unique in the flight simulation market. Cutting edge technology gives it an unparalleled look and feel. The flight model was written by an actual aerobatics pilot (Gary Stottlemyer - the lead designer for Red Baron II), making it the most authoritative system in the industry. With the latest tools and a design based on years of extensive research, Dynamix has produced a truly exceptional simulation. So boot it up, go take a spin and learn what it was really like in those turbulent, terrifying years when the Knights of the Sky rode steeds of wood and fabric.
