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The first "real" flight simulation to arrive on Sega's 16-bit baby is, as many might expect, a whole lot more simplistic than comparable products on computer. The drill is pretty much routine - strap yourself into the cockpit of your prototype fighter and kick some butt over a series of increasingly-dangerous missions.

Because console controls are far more limited than those available on computer (no keyboard you see), F-22 doesn't offer all the technical bits and bobs featured in your average Microprose product. What it does do, however, is play surprisingly like a "real" simulation, given the limitations of the controls. When playing from one of the outside views, it may look like just another version of Afterburner, but it really does play properly, with cannons and missile targeting all working realistically.

Considering it's a console game, F-22 Interceptor is a pretty remarkable achievement, and EA deserves to be congratulated for making the effort to produce something a bit more taxing (both for the player and the machine) than just another two-player shoot-'em-up. If you're used to what computer-based fight simulations can do, it's unlikely you'll be impressed by what F-22 Interceptor has to offer. If you're not, however, and you're a bit fed up with the standard Megadrive arcade drudge, you could well be onto a winner here.