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OK Biggles, chocks away! And with that cry I flew straight into the ground.

There are a lot of flight simulators about already, so what are Database offering to entice you to buy their program? Well, for a start, instead of just flying around aimlessly you have the excitement of flying in formation with the Red Arrows (hence the name), but first you have to attain the high degree of skill required. You can jump straight in and try, but I almost guarantee you'll fail.

The options are many, not the least important are the training sections with four degrees of difficulty of the 'Help' messages given to novices. The flight manual gives a great deal of information about both the Red Arrows and the Hawk T, Mk 1. Hints and tips are provided, and indeed the whole program goes out of its way to help you get to grips with the business of flying competently.

Once you have mastered the basic techniques you can then practise each menoeuvre or go for the show, all with options to make the difficulty level easier or harder.

This program has all the usual tricky combinations of keys to be mastered, and joystick if required, and is every bit as complex as its competitors. Where it scores is in the relatively gentle introductory stages and the final aim of a performance of aerobatics. The graphics are very good but suffer from the same jerkiness as other programs of this type. Highly recommended.