Back to Baghdad

Firstly, the packaging that came delivered with it didn't do it any justice. It was lighter than expected and a quick peek inside revealed that this complex sim had an apology for a manual that wasn't even remotely like Digital Image Design's EF2000 or even Spectrum's / MicroProse's Falcon 3.0 but was more like a condensed version.

It had very little to offer in terms of Technical Backgrounds, avionics or even technical troubleshooting. Since then, MSI has made available a downloadable version of their online manual. (Ed Note - MSI's site is down as of January 98. A 3 in 1 Tactical manual was also available for sale online then.)

Although the sim's specs called for a Pentium 90 with 16 MB of RAM, I would suggest a P166 with 32 MB would be the base minimum.

This is largely due to the fabulously detailed objects and terrain found in the v.1.03 patch. Like EA / Jane's Longbow, both suffered from frame rates that are slightly less than the desired 30 fps, thus making it a little difficult, but not impossible to line up a shot or hone in on a target. However, the nine (9 - count 'em!) radar modes and two MFDs representing the APG-68 found in the Block 52 C variants are detailed enough to keep one busy so as to not worry about framerates!

What's more interesting about B2B is the ability to hook up a separate monochrome monitor by plugging in a Hercules monochrome card and using it as a third working MFD! An industry first.

The object graphics in B2B are rendered in resolutions of 512 x 512. Cockpit modes are in crisp 640 x 480 video modes. Using the preciously mentioned 1.03 patch will allow for more textures. One nice feature is to see and fly through smoke trails left behind from pickled weapons. Likewise, if you see a SAM with a smokestack going up, you know you're in for a warm welcome! Also the flak sprites are wonderfully done - giving you the actual feel of being fired upon.

Flying in Baghdad's airspace at night proved to be almost as interesting - except for the debris that you catch if one of those "interesting" flak bursts gets too close!

There are also several different aspects of gameplay. Beside the usual trainers which prepare you for the "opposition" you'll face, there are two campaigns: Operation Desert Shield.

The AI is worth noting here as their skills, threats and capabilities can be adjusted to suit your comfort and experience. It also implements another useful and interesting feature - the "Hawkeye" view. This is used in place of the padlock view found in today's modern simulation software. Though good in it's implementation, it lacks a missile padlock view which would tell you where they are instead of relying on your instrumentation alone.Furthermore there are limited commands you can send to your Wingman unlike EF2000 or Falcon 3.0.

What of realism you say? Well, a certain pro-simulation establishment recently had the opportunity of servicing the local AF pilots with ThrustMaster's F16 HOTAS had this to say : "According the them (the real F-16 pilots), aside from the slightly less than perfect flight envelope of B2B, it's almost as good as (flying) the real thing." Nuff said.

In all honesty, B2B is a sim you'll learn to love after you get a good understanding of the avionics and past the relatively steep learning curve. It also requires a little patience as there are long loading times.

In conclusion - if you've got the USD $99.00 (street price) to spend on this, it's well worth it.

If you're inclined to shoot-em-ups or quick arcadish sims, this is not one for you.