Fly! II

"Good planes but nothing else."

I bought Fly! 2 after seeing a video of what Fly! 2K was capable of. It was all down to a particular Boeing 737 add-on.

Fly! 2 is a flight simulator, like Microsoft Flight Simulator. When you start it up, something doesn't seem quite right though.

Overview:
You get a few very high quality planes with the product. They include Bell 407 helicopters, Single and dual propeller planes, and my personal favourite, the Peregrine 800 business jet. The whole world and over 20,000 airports are also included, and in-depth instructions on using the aircraft.

Simulation:
The default aircraft are really good. All systems and avionics are modelled well, and the planes handle beautifully. The damage system is also very impressive. It cannot be faulted at all. It is a good challenge to start up the business jet and the helicopters. It makes you feel like a real pilot.
9/10

Features:
The program is quite extensive, with a lot of flight options. As a result, its quite confusing. The Air Traffic Control isn't very good though. The flight decks/cockpits are very impressive. There are no 3D flight decks like in the latest simulators, but the whole main instrument panel can be scrolled up/down, and across to the co-pilots seat. You can also switch to overhead, offside and pedestal controls. The side views are just standard bitmaps.
7/10

Graphics:
A bit of a dilemma here. Planes are beautiful with their reflective surfaces and animated moving parts. Flight decks look professional, although a bit dull. The scenery is a massive, massive disappointment. Everything looks dull, and the world is a bit flat. Airports have very sparse objects and look very generic.
5:10

Sounds:
The planes sound very realistic, and the instrumentation alerts are fantastic.
8/10

Overall this flight simulator is very good at simulating but lacks everything else. It is dull, boring, and repetitive. Let down by the horrendous scenery, and the program is as hard to set up as the planes themselves. It is reflected in the price you can pick it up for these days.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/05