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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       18th October 2002: The Dam Busters  Relive the most famous bombing raid of World War II in this add-on for Combat Flight Simulator 2 and Flight Simulator. Posted by Marc Hull - PC - UK and Europe During 1943, in the midst of World War II, a wing commander named Guy Gibson was given the task of assembling a team of pilots for a mission so secretive that even he didn't know the target. After gathering some of the best air crew of Bomber Command, and enduring a period of intense training, the yet unnumbered squadron was designated as 617 and told of their mission which would become one of (if not the) most famous missions of the war. The concept was far from simple - they had to fly to the heart of Germany and drop a new 'bouncing bomb', which required a certain speed and altitude to work correctly, and blow up three dams. It was a highly experimental mission, with no guarantee of a favourable outcome, and yet it ended up being a great success, and the squadron went on to do further raids such as the attack on the German ship the Tirpitz. The Dam Busters is an expansion pack for Combat Flight Simulator 2 and Flight Simulator 2000/2002 that allows you to relive the missions of 617 Squadron right down to the last detail. It's evident from the numerous background information screens and packed manual that the developers have spent a lot of time researching the actual Dam Busters missions, from the initial test drops of the 'bouncing bomb' to the dam raids themselves and beyond to other lesser-known ones that the squadron participated in. In total there are 25 missions to be completed, taking place all over the world, and use different aircraft, such as Lancasters, Wellingtons and Mosquitos, so there's plenty to sink your teeth into. However, those hoping to relive the Dam Busters experience with Flight Simulator (as opposed to Combat Flight Simulator) will be disappointed to find that none of the missions in the campaign mode are selectable (since they require combat elements that Flight Sim doesn't cater for). Being a simulator add-on rather than an action game, don't expect this to have tremendous pick-up-and-play value. However, for those who are interested in an authentic recreation of the original raids, this should more than fit the bill. The game is not only officially licensed by the RAF, but includes some incredible attention to detail, right down to authentic codes and serial numbers for the planes, the raids being flown on the same dates as they were in real life and accurately modelled British and Russain airfields to take off from. Each of the aircraft are nicely modelled, with correct instruments in the cockpit view, and they all have different tasks in the game. For instance, there are three different versions of the Lancaster plane modified for dropping various different mines and bombs, the Mosquito which is equipped with marker flares for highlighting bombing areas, and the Wellington which is involved in mine-dropping trials. Graphically, the game follows the same standards as Combat Flight Simulation as you'd expect, although the planes are pretty impressive, and the cockpits nicely modelled with loads of different dials and buttons. You also get to switch between many different views throughout your mission, such as the 'below' view which allows you to line up your height finding lights to keep your height consistent when dropping bombs, and the bomber view which has the 'piece of wood and two nails' aiming device. The areas of the dams themselves are a bit sparse, but the bouncing bomb and insuing explosion are recreated quite nicely. For sound, while the game doesn't have any background music, it comes with a wide selection of speech phrases which are in a typically over-emphasised British accent, and even contains morse code success phrases which are based on actual ones used during the Dam Busters raids. The gameplay is also pretty good with the emphasis being on detail once again. You are given complete control over your plane, allowing you to do pretty much whatever you want with it, so you can spend plenty of time messing about with the controls, or pressing all the buttons on your cockpit view. You can also fly wherever you want to, although fortunately the game allows you to jump to the bombing site after you've taken off, so you don't have to fly the 10+ hours journey there. My only real gripe with the game was really down to the complexity of the control system, which is really a problem with all PC flight simulators. If you're expecting a game that you can just jump into and be bombing within minutes, you'll be disappointed - there are absolutely loads of different keys to learn, so you'll need to spend at least half an hour flying the training mission to get used to them. In terms of length, Dam Busters is a difficult game to score. Although there are only 25 missions, the difficulty of the game is quite high, so they will probably take a fair while to complete. Even once you've finished them, you can still access the aircraft and levels individually in Combat Flight Simulator and set up your own dogfights. However, if you're using Flight Simulator 2000/2002 then you will end up very disappointed - the game only allows you to fly around one level in one plane, with no missions or combat! Overall, The Dam Busters is the perfect add-on for those wanting an authentic simulation of the events of World War II. However, the complexity of the controls means that fans of the action genre will be disappointed - you really have to study this game to get anywhere with it. Also, if you only own Flight Simulator 2000/2002 then you should really think of getting Combat Flight Simulator before even considering this title, otherwise you don't get any of the dam-busting which is the game's main point! Marc Hull             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  Dam Busters is a highly detailed simulation of 617 Squadron's bombing raids during World War II. You get three different planes, and variations on them, as well as 25 missions from around the world. However, the control system is very complicated, and the game is only really worth getting if you have Combat Flight Simulator.  Related Games:  The Dam Busters for PC  6  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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