No you're not seeing things. The Luftwaffe acquired MiG-29s following the reunification with East Germany

An Su-25 Frogfoot pops flares to avoid IR missiles

Flight Simulators just don't seem to be as popular as they used to be. The long development cost of producing a quality title in this genre has scared off so many publishers. Many of the big names in simulation such as Microprose no longer exist. It's sad that we won't ever see a proper version of Gunship, Total Air War or F-19 Stealth Fighter.



Yet the last year has seen the release of two tremendous flight simulations in the form of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and Il2-Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles. The latter was published by Ubisoft, a company that has released some of the best games around in 2003, and it's also the firm behind the release of Lock On: Modern Air Combat. Lomac (as we're going to called it for the rest of the review) was developed by Eagle Dynamics, a company that garnered much praise for its Flanker series of flight simulations.

Mid-air refueling is a stressful business

In fact, the game began as a continuation of Flanker 2.5 and was originally called Flanker Attack. Eagle Dynamics saw an opportunity to fill the void with a simulation of the A-10 Warthog tankbuster and it was then a logical conclusion to add a NATO air-superiority fighter to the mix. Thus Lock On: Modern Air Combat was born.



The game features several flyable aircraft and devotes as much care and attention on each one. Fans of particular aircraft may find themselves concentrating on one plane – especially those who've been waiting some years for a new A-10 Warthog simulator. The flyable aircraft are the A-10 Warthog, F-15C Eagle, Su-27 Flanker B, MiG-29 Fulcrum A, MiG-29 Fulcrum C, Su-25 Frogfoot and Su-33 Flanker D.

Naval operations play a role in Lock On

The warfare within Lomac takes place during a fictional conflict at the northern end of the Black Sea. Eagle Dynamics has modelled a detailed representation of the Crimea and Western Caucuses including large agricultural areas, foothills, and towering mountains.



Despite the game having very scaleable graphics settings it really does need quite a powerful PC to play. A DirectX 8.1 compatible card is a must – users of lesser cards such as a GeForce 4 MX and the like will find numerous problems with the game. As with many complex sims there were many bugs with the initial release, hence we have hung back and waited for the first patch before reviewing the game. But if you have the horsepower to run the game it really does look great, the aircraft models, effects and scenery look superb with stunning attention to detail.

Low level flight is a joy in Lock On

The game really does look top notch. Lighting from missile engines, explosions, sunlight and afterburners all has an effect if your video card can handle it. Military vehicles are lovingly recreated with rotating radar antennas and other details.



Sadly, as it all too often the case these days, the game comes without a full paper manual. An adobe acrobat format manual appears on the disk but it is hardly adequate and is full of errors. Just as well there are in depth training missions to help out fledgling fliers. These missions take the player through a basic flying course with general principles, a selection of familiarity training sessions with each aircraft and some advanced manoeuvres for those who've got to grips with the basics.

The ground detail is excellent

The flight models are good. No, I haven't ever flown an F-15; the behaviour of the aircraft is very believable. Even better is the sense of immersion. It's rare to fly solo, most missions take place with wingmen and the battlefield is full of aircraft going about their own missions or supporting the player's efforts. As with most sims, the player can make it as easy or as hard as they want – reducing the skill needed for landing, using unlimited weapons and limiting the effectiveness of anti-aircraft missiles.

[Harry]

Missions are varied and although the campaign is not fully dynamic, it still provides a convincing conflict for desktop pilots to fly in. The enemy AI is can be ferocious at times and those missiles are pure evil. It's one of those games that doesn't let you feel safe for one moment and that adds the atmosphere. For me the best moments come in the A10 and the Su-25. Sure, there are flyboys in fighters scratching space and dog fighting in the clear blue. But I find it much more fun getting down low and moving some mud – cannon duels with Shilka anti-aircraft systems and low level bombing runs on tank columns. The great thing about Lomac is that it caters for a variety of tastes. Whether you are just hankering after an A10 sim, or want to get in depth with complex home-on-jam intercepts using an AMRAAM armed F-15 – there's something here for all sim fans.

[Alex]

Crikey, two sim fans on one editorial team. Harry pulled rank and got to tell you all about Lock On. But I'm here backing him up, as a good wingman should. Lomac is great fun, and I must admit both Harry and I have got very involved in the A10 Warthog campaign. It's worth the price alone as an A10 sim. But those other aircraft are excellent too, the Russian fighters are a joy to fly and the sense of being at 30,000 feet is very convincing. While not quite as good as its Ubisoft stable mate IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles, Lock On: Modern Air Combat is a worthy addition to any flight sim fan's collection.

The A10 Warthog: A tank commander's worst nightmare