Wait! There is a new version of the game coming out...
http://www.airwarfare.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1108
The current game, at its' most expansive and best capabilities requires you have either...
Forgotten Battles and Ace Expansion Pack and Pacific Fighters all loaded up and patched in the proper order.
or
Forgotten Battles Gold Pack and Pacific Fighters all loaded up and patched in the proper order.
Why so many patches?
Because unlike Cousin Billy, Oleg has experience in actual design of combat aircraft electronics and 1C: Games actually responds to their customer base by making add-ons and patches to an already outstanding game.
I'd pre-order the new version. Why? I'm not sure, but it probably will have some features you cannot have with the older versions.
Why should you pay for this? Well, trust me when I say that you can play this game for three years for several hours a day and never tire of it if you have the brains to know what you are getting. So what are you getting?
Over 200 flyable aircraft and a bunch more AI planes that with a few tricks, you can fly externally at least. There is everything from old, carburated biplanes that if you give them negative g forces, the engine quits to jet powered flying wings. If you can't find several planes you like, you just don't like airplanes!
Stunning graphics capabilities for those with high powered PC's yet so scalable, that no matter what... within certain minimum limits that is... you can tweak the eye candy to get as much as possible out of this game without completely porking the frame rates.
You get carrier operations
Maps from the western front, the Eastern front, North Africa, the Pacific maps
You get a full mission builder that allows you to choose hundred of objects to make an almost infinate number of combinations with weather ranging from clear skies to fog, rain, snow, thundertorms and you can choose combinations of times of day and night along with weather for some great and challenging affects.
It also has ships lovingly modelled like the Turpitz and the Yamato and tanks and AAA and trucks and rockets and artillery.
This IS NOT a game you will pay for and make a drink coaster out of in four hours or even four years. Buy it!