F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0

The Good
I liked what I liked about the original Microprose F-19. That was the problem!

The Bad
There weren't many differences between the original F-19, and this sequel. The 256 color graphics were better, but not much. e.g. The sky gradient was too banded. There were more weapons and different maps and aircraft, but this made very little difference to gameplay. Having played F-19 to death (well, until I got bored of it) this was more of the same. Good Advice quoted at the time was "If you've got the original, don't bother with this update."

The Bottom Line
Microprose F-19 with a visual facelift.

The Good
Back when this game was released, a few of my friends and I got together to share tactics. Now either the game was that good, or we were total idiots. I leave that for you to decide. ;)

If flying below radar at subsonic speeds, sweating profusely at the slightest blip on the radar, then this game is for you. If you want action, dogfights, and supersonic races to the target, then rather play another game.

The point of this game is to fly to your target undetected, complete your goal, be it photographs or decimating a weapons factory, and then return safely - again, undetected. To do this, you have a choice of planes - "real" or "Microprose", the former being more stealthy, the latter having more weapons. The strategy involves plotting a course, avoiding two types of radar at different locations, and then actually flying the course.

Autopilot comes in very handy, as does accelerated time. The actual flight dynamics are not as good as you would expect, but in its day I never complained. The different campaigns allow for varied difficulty, as well as certain options that can be chosen besides.

The Bad
At time of release, there was not much to complain about. The music was Adlib, not my favourite.

The Bottom Line
The game itself was a good step up from its predecessor, F19 Stealth Fighter. I still enjoy it, even now, and hope to see an updated release along these lines one day.

The Good
This game allows for unlimited game play, against a difficult sim opponent. The gradiant from easy to hard is a very gradual one which allows for new gamers to adjust to the game play over time. In harder levels, ie north cape and central europe, the sim is incredably difficult, to get in and get out alive in this game, with out cheat codes, is hard enough but is even more difficult when you go on killing sprees. The game is not a realistic flight simulator, but is a realistic tactic and stategy simulator.

The Bad
The graphics left something to be desired, but for a game made is 1991, it is top of the line. I just wish that more MicroProse wouls come out with another version using either the F-22 or B-2 platform.

The Bottom Line
Bad graphics but excellent game play