Flying is brilliant. The fact that humans are able to make a huge chunk of metal float is freaking amazing. Unfortunately Blazing Angels II bypasses much of this wonder. Combat flight sims live or die by how well they can recreate the sensation of aerobatics and speed. Too often in Blazing Angels 2 the plane is a static model suspended above bland scenery. The setup is that you are an ace pilot taking part in secret World War II missions involving the usual attack/protect/destroy variations. You earn Prestige Points for completing objectives or pixel perfect stunts which can then be spent on upgrading planes. The missions are short, with some variety, but going up against a giant Zeppelin in Cairo just feels a bit ridiculous. The game never really rises above that of a quick sit-down-and-play arcade shooter. If you're a flight sim obsessive or want to play yet another World War II game then it's worth a look, but otherwise why bother? [Richard Dennis]