Games

Heroes of the Pacific

Formats: PS2, Xbox, PC
Publisher: Codemasters
Price: £29.99
Buy it now from Amazon.co.uk

World War II is all the rage with games developers at the moment, from tank commanding strategy games on the PC to the gruelling in-your-face action of first person shooters like Call of Duty. Of course, in this day and age, we can't be seen to be too gung-ho about such a bloody conflict, so these games tend to couch their action in sombre terms.

Not so Heroes of the Pacific. While the game takes the historical detail quite seriously, at least in terms of military hardware, the presentation is very much in the style of rip-roaring Boys Own adventure yarns - all plucky thumbs-up period graphics and Hollywood storytelling.

It makes for a welcome break, and serves as a handy reference point for the gameplay as well, which hovers somewhere between serious simulation and arcade joystick-wrangling.

Starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor, you must first defend vital US installations during that fateful attack, and then go on the offensive - undertaking varied missions in a selection of planes. From all-out attack runs on Japanese forces to patrols and escort objectives, all the expected aerial challenges are present and correct.

What makes Heroes stand out is that it treads the fine line between period detail and modern playability. Each plane sputters and roars like the real thing, and your ability to swoop about the skies is limited by the capabilities of the era. There'll be no Top Gun style stunt flying here - and you should only attempt loop the loops when you've got a lot of room to play with!

The online multiplayer modes are a worthy addition as well, adding a bundle of instantly appealing game modes to the solid mechanic of the single player game.

The consoles aren't exactly overstocked with airborne shoot-em-ups, with only Crimson Skies on the Xbox in the "essential purchase" pile. Heroes of the Pacific is certainly on a par with that unsung classic, and comes highly recommended for anyone with a taste for wartime derring-do.