Once you figure out the subtleties of take off you can embark upon the more combat orientated missions. Naturally with a whole carrier full of buddies around you, they're not going to simply let you take all the glory. On most missions you'll be accompanied by a number of wingmen who will help you out if things get a bit tricky. Your mates can even help or hinder you via a network play option.

The plane can be kitted out in any way you see fit before the mission begins. Weapons can be changed and so forth before the mission briefing appears. The briefing plans the mission in detail; showing maps, flight-paths, waypoints and targets for you to examine. The flight-path can usually be altered to suit your own tastes and can be advantageous if you want to approach the mission in a slightly different way tactically.

Now as you'd imagine, since much of the action occurs over the water most of what you're going to see is blue. Despite the 3D card requirement and the varying weather, day/night conditions the game looks fairly bland compared to some of the fantastic light shows featured in many of the other flight sims. Having said that, some of the camera angles can give almost cinematic shots.

F/A 18E is incredibly detailed. Everything from the need to watch the little men on the flight deck of the carrier, to the subtle operation of the cockpit controls all spells good news for the hard-core simulation addicts. However, the relatively poor graphics, at least on the landscape, and early complexity won't appeal much to the casual gamer.