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Flying in the trail of the highly successful Ace comes Ace 2, a two-player head-to-head air combat simulator played over a Middle East scenario. Each player takes control of a hi-tech jet and attempts to shoot down a hostile aircraft (either computer of human-controlled), using either cannon fire or heat-seeking missiles.

The action is displayed in first-person 3D, using a horizontally split screen, with player one's viewpoint at the top and player two's below. A panel beneath each screen shows the status of each plane, and displays such information as height, velocity, weapon, pitch, roll and any incoming messages. There's also a radar display showing the location of enemy aircraft within the vicinity.

There is a choice between two scenarios - dogfight or mission. The former pits two pilots against one another in a do-or-die situation. If there's one player, the computer provides a twenty-level adversary.

The action behins when the number of planes per person and the number of missile hits necessary to bring down the aircraft have been chosen. Score is given for a heat-seeking missile on target and accurate cannon fire. When one pilot's fleet of craft have been shot down, the game ends.

The mission scenario requires each pilot to shoot down the opposition's ground installation. Consequently there are two approaches - to defend your own installation by intercepting and shooting down the opposing plane, or to go out and shoot down the enemy installation. The pilot is given a choice between air to ground/sea missiles, long-range radar-guided rockets or heat-seekers, which are limited to close combat. Because of the rockets' differing weights, the pilot has to think about his approach before arming - once in the air the chosen arms cannot be changed.

The mission ends quite simply when one player has lost all of this planes.

This sequel to Ace is something of a disappointment. The original was a program with enormous depth, incorporating features such as air-to-air and air-to-ground or sea combat, mid-air refuelling and landing and taking off.

By comparison, Ace 2 is decidedly simple, and is more of an arcade game than anything else.

There are two basic options - a dogfight scenario or a mission scenario. The dogfight situation is a straightforward one-on-one air combat, and is virtually the same with the addition of each pilot having a ground target to attack or defend.

The computer provides a good opponent and should challenge even the most experienced pilot - that's if you can stick the action long enough.

After a couple of sessions I found the lack of depth and variety to be Ace 2's stumbling block. Shooting down plane after plane becomes a little tedious, especially as there's nothing else to do.

Even the mission scenario is quite limited - there just isn't enough in the action to keep you coming back for more. The two-player mode offers a lot of fun, but if you're likely to be playing Ace 2 solo, avoid it. Buy Ace instead - it's a completely different game.

Not being a real fan of the more complex flight simulator, the fact that Ace 2 allows the player to get straight up in the air and start blasting really appeals to me.

There's a fabulous feeling of speed and tension generated from the start, and despite the relative lack of options and controls, the action still demands constant and undivided attention.

The computer opponent is a little fearsome (a good deal of practice is needed before a human player can compete), but this game only really comes into its own when played head-to-head in two-player mode.

When played among friends, Ace 2 provides fun, spectacle, colour and excitement - what more could you want?

Ace 2 is certainly no clone of its predecessor - gone are the multiple combat scenarios of Ace, and indeed gone are all the vital controls of the plane itself.

Page five of the instructions manual quotes a long list of things you needn't worry about while flying your plane, including flaps, rudder and various aerobatic features.

Unfortunately, this is its main flaw - the game is oversimplified to the point where it begins to lose some of its value. Combat emulators rely on the feeling of ordered chaos generated by having to control a complex machine, attack the enemy *and* attempt to stay alive in the process.

All that remains for you to do in Ace 2 is guide the plane and press the Fire button. This does provide a decent, albeit short-lived, challenge against a human opponent, but I'm rather unsure about the difficulty level of the computer - it starts very hard on level one and gets worse.

Although this is a good game in its own right, fans of Ace could well be a bit disappointed.

Presentation 90%
A useful series of options, and well laid out screen.

Graphics 78%
Great statics, complemented by slightly simplistic, but fast and colourful action.

Sound 75%
A great Rob Hubbard tune kicks off - only to be followed by slightly annoying sound effects.

Hookability 80%
Very straightforward, offering action from the start.

Lastability 72%
Lone flyers may lose interest relatively quickly. However, the two player mode is still enjoyable.

Overall 81%
A disappointment after Ace, but still enjoyable for budding combat pilots.