Since this is such a large simulation with loads of features in it I will break this review up into several parts. The mission builder alone is enough for one review!

The installation of F15 was UN-eventful and very smooth. With low, medium and full installation options to choose form I picked Full since I had wasted hard drive space just waiting to be used. The system I will do this review on is a:

• PII 266
• 512k Cache
• 64 MB SDRAM
• 6 Gig HD
• Creative Labs 12M Voodoo2 with latest drivers
• Diamond Monster Sound board
• FLCS/TQS and CH Rudder Pedals

I have had F15 for about 2 months now starting with two late betas and then finally getting the current released version about two weeks ago. When you start up F15 you'll see the traditional Janes Intro movie that leads to the hard rock intro to F15. I really like the intro movie with an MTV style video splash of F15 crews, planes and bomb blast all to a heavy metal beat. It makes you want to get up there and blow stuff up!

Starters

The main screen is broken down into several categories. Training, Campaigns, Instant mission, Multiplayer, Single mission or Edit mission, View objects and then if you click in the middle you can get the Option screens.

The Options screen allows you to configure your sound, video etc… One thing that stands out here is the custom joystick and keyboard mapping. This screen will allow you to assign any game function to any keyboard command you wish. For example: When I was in a mission and requested to refuel with the Tanker my wingman automatically turned on my NAV and Formation lights. After a successful refuel I could not figure out how to turn them off.

Its not a real good idea to go into enemy territory to bomb a target with your NAV/ Formation lights on. So I went into the keyboard mapping and found Formation Lights and assigned it to Shift N. Then saved it as a different name and walla, hit Shift N and lights out. This allows total flexibility of game controls, very nice! (Editor: for some reason the key mapper doesn't work with every key, in spite of the option appearing on the list. I tried mapping RADAR_MODE and it didn't work).

Training, Training and More Training:

The training section is where you will want to spend a lot of time, before you try any of the Campaigns. Here you can select from approx. 20 plus missions to learn the ins and outs of the F15E Strike Eagle. From Take off to Air to Air and Air to Ground missions there all there. Once you select a mission to fly, you will go to the briefing page. You can click on the map data to show your flight path and check out the briefing so you know what's expected in this mission.

You can also select Arming. Select this and you are placed in the Arming screen with your default load out all ready to go. If you select Custom you can then select any armament you wish. Since the F15E is primarily a strike aircraft there are Tons or weapons to choose from. From MK82 dumb bombs to GBU15 guided smart bombs, if the real F15E can carry it so can you. Another nice feature in the arming screen is the ability to save your bomb load. So if you created a loadout you like and think you will use it over again, this allows you to save it and then use it whenever you wish.

Here is a list of the weapons you can select:

• M61A1
• AIM-7F Sparrow
• AIM-7M Sparrow
• AIM-9L Sidewinder
• AIM-9M Sidewinder
• AIM-9P Sidewinder
• AIM-120A AMRAAM
• AGM-65D Maverick
• AGM65G Maverick
• BLU-107 Durandal
• BSU-49 (MK-82 Air) Low Altitude
• BSU-50 (MK-84 Air) Low Altitude
• CBU-52 Cluster Bomb Anti Personnel
• CBU-58 Cluster Bomb Anti Personnel
• CBU-58A Cluster Bomb Anti Personnel (Incendiary)
• CBU-71 Cluster Bomb Anti Personnel
• CBU-71A Cluster Anti Personnel (Incendiary)
• CBU-78 Cluster Bomb Anti Armor
• CBU-87 Cluster Bomb Anti Personnel
• CBU-89 Cluster Bomb Anti Armor
• CBU-97 Cluster Bomb Anti Armor
• GBU-10 Paveway1
• GBU-10E Paveway2
• GBU-10G Paveway3
• GBU-12 Paveway1
• GBU-12D Paveway2
• GBU-15 v-1 TV/ Datalink
• GBU-15 v-2 IIR/Datalink
• GBU-15 v-31 TV/ Datalink
• GBU-15 v-32 IIR/ Datalink
• GBU-24 Paveway III
• GBU-24A Paveway III
• GBU-28
• Mk-20 Rockeye II
• Mk-82
• Mk-84
• AN/ALE-40 (1) 120 chaffs/60 Flares
• AN/ALE-40 (2) 180 Chaff/ 30 Flares
• AN/ALE-40 (3) 60 Chaff/ 90 Flares
• AN/ AAQ-13 Navigation Pod
• AN/AAQ-14 Targeting Sensor Pod
• AN/AXQ-14 Datalink Pod
• External Fuel Tanks

As you can see its' a pretty big list and you have the flexibility to select what you want for the mission at hand.

The next menu option is the Target data screen. In here you will get a birds eye view of the target area showing your flights primary targets. Each is assigned a number to correspond to your flight. Each wingman is assigned a primary target and you can change this if you wish. You can zoom in and out of the map view to check out the serounding area.

After you've selected the weapons you wish and checked out your target, select Fly and away you go! Which brings up the next topic regarding Flight Model....

Yank and Bank

The flight model in F15 is absolutely the best I have ever experienced in a PC flight simulator. If you're used to yanking back on your flight stick all the time during a dogfight you're in for a learning curve here. If the F15 your flying is fully loaded with A/G weapons and you yank back on that stick your gonna be flying an overweighted, fat, slow pig! This will get you in trouble in a big way! You will have to learn to ease up on the stick and watch your airspeed.

When the bird gets low on speed it gets really mushy on the controls. Kick in the afterburners, but don't expect to be instantly back up to speed. In a dogfight you will really have to think about what you're doing. If you're at 250kts and your bogie goes vertical you might think twice before you follow it. This adds a lot of strategy to intercepts and wingman tactics.

As far as Stalls and spins I have not been able to get this bird into a spin yet. Janes has confirmed it can be done but because of the flight computer it's very hard to do. I have tried to get my computer damaged several times but have yet to get this done and then get into a spin. If someone figures this out please let me know. Bottom line on the flight model is it's the best I've seen and you get a good sensation of flight and control. Where do they go from here?? Graphics and Sound

The graphics of F15 are also quite beautiful. They are not as crisp as DID's ADF but are still very well done. The F15 looks great, as do the other planes you will interact with. Objects are especially crips, and at 640X480 on my Voodoo2 board they look very nice There are plenty of 3DFx effects like transparent smoke, fog and solid lighting effects.

Frame rate on my P266 was screaming with the CL/Voodoo2 board. I did try some earlier versions of F15 on an Intense 3d Board and it ran very well with an occasional frame rate hit in and around the cities. I am sure that could have been corrected with some fine-tuning of the options but I did not try.

The explosion effects are by far the best I have ever seen. The hit of Mk82's looks like something off of Wings on the discover channel. The same goes for concussion effects and the sounds are also very good. I have had more fun just blowing things up in the training flights. Usually on a mission there is so much going on I rarely get to watch the bombs hit so the training missions are a great way to watch these different weapons do their stuff. Can you imagine what a mission playback feature would be like in this sim?

The Sounds in F15 are also top notch. The roar of the engines could have been a bit louder for me but they are still nicely done. Explosions sound great and the sidewinder growl sounds very realistic. Where Janes F15 stands out in the sound category is the radio chatter. This is done in a full duplex type of mode. For example: If you are on a mission and you call the AWACS for Bogie dope, while they are giving you the big picture your wingman might call out a SAM launch or Radar detection. All this will happen at the same time.

In fact, this is the first combat sim where I have actually had information overload. It can get very confusing trying to listen to JSTARS or your wingman when other flights are calling in hits and missile launches at the same time. This is a really fun experience. I have had to ask the AWACS twice for Bogie dope because in the confusion and action around me, I missed it the first time. This also heightens the feeling of "Being there". With all the combat chatter going on and AAA arcing up at you, wingmen calling out position for SAR on downed pilots plus your TEWS screeching SAM launches it can get pretty exciting! Atmosphere has almost been reinvented by Janes.

Control over your wingmen is excellent. You have a wingman menu that's broken down into your Wingman, Element, Division and entire Flight (up to eight aircraft). So if you want to tell your flight to change formation you can issue a single command to the Flight. If you have a pair of bogies out ahead you can tell wingmen 3 and 4 to engage by using the Element commands. If you have aircraft beyond 4 you can issue them commands by using the Division commands. Below is a list of comms commands available to you.

General commands:

• Engage
• Sanitize Right
• Sanitize Left
• Cover Me
• Orbit Here
• Intercept
• Ground Attack
• Rejoin Flight
• Return to Base

Intercept Sub Menu

• Bracket Right
• Bracket Left
• Split High
• Split Low
• Drag Right
• Drag Left

Ground Attack Sub Menu

• Attack Primary Target
• Attack Secondary Target
• Attack Ground Targets of Opportunity

Wingman Specific Commands

• Attack my Target
• Help Me
• Break Right
• Break Left
• Break High
• Break Low

Flight Specific Commands

• Radar On/Off
• Music On/Off
• Report Contacts
• Sort Bandits
• Status
  • System Check
  • Weapons Check

• Change Formation
  • Loosen Formation
  • Tighten Formation
  • Wedge Formation
  • Line Abreast Formation
  • Echelon Formation
  • Trail Formation

As you can see you have a lot of control over your flight. You can tell portions of your flight to orbit an area. I have used this to have separate timed attacks on a target. Go in fast and low and knock out some SAM and AAA then call in the rest of your flight to hit the remaining targets a few seconds later.

In The Cockpit

The up front cockpit view is presented to you once you select Fly from the briefing screen. This is presented in two halves. The top have represents the HUD and the right and left MFDs as well as the UFC Data Console. The look down view will replicate the third MFD and your back up flight systems data.

The third view is from the back seat of the F15E or WSO seat. One nice feature of the F15 cockpit is ALL the buttons are mouse activated or clickable. You can select all your master modes and then change the MFD information all by the mouse. You can change your bomb ripple and release modes/counts and slew your IR sensors. Again if its in the real F15E then its in Janes F15!

The other nice feature is that you can program what MFDs you want for specific Master modes. If you want the TEWS displayed while in NAV mode then you can program the cockpit to have that MFD active during NAV mode.

Even more flexibility comes via the UFC Data Console used in this sim. Most use this area for just artwork or static information. Janes F15 allows you to activate various information that the real F15E utilizes. Below is a list of the information in the UFC Data Console:

• Menu - Calls up UFC main menu
• Data - Calls up UFC data menu or sub menus
• A/P - Engage Auto pilot
• EMS - Limit or allow emissions
• LAW - Call up Low Altitude Warning system menu
• TCN - Call up Tactical Aid to Navigation submenu
• IFF - Cycle through IFF Modes, Auto, Normal, Off
• TF - Terrain Following Radar On/ Off
• ILS - Cycle ILS On/Off
• N-F - Cycle through current steering data
• HUD Data - Select HUD option displays
• A/P - Change the Autopilot modes
• STR - Cycle through steer points.

Like the rest of the interface, the virtual cockpit mode shines. The VC is completely slewable via the keyboard or HOTAS if so programmed. (Note: View keys work differently if invoked from fixed cockpit or VC mode, a fact which is not clearly explained). Padlock views are all implemented with track current target and also track WSO target.

This last mode is very useful and will track the last target your WSO called out. So if you're concentrating on your target for a bomb run and your WSO calls out a SAM launch you can padlock the incoming missile for evasion maneuvering.

Just so NOTHING is missed, while in padlock mode you can call up your three currently active front cockpit MFD's so you have access to Radar etc… You can also snap back to front view if you get disoriented in a dogfight and then snap back to padlock once finished. And this doesnt' exhaust the view system: there are a ton of other views available so you have complete control to watch the battles unfold. Some of the views are not available by key press unless you access the CONFIG menu and customize your key selection.

Before you go into a campaign it's always a good idea to practice up on your combat skills. A perfect way to do this is to select the Instant Mission section of Janes F15. This allows you to create some pretty exciting missions in just seconds.

You can select a variety of missions from Air to Air to Air to Ground and any combination in between. If you're in the mood for a quick 1V1 against a MiG 29 Guns only, here's where you can do it. If you want to practice your bombing skills with AAA and SAM's you can create it in the Instant Mission generator. Below is a list of the options you can choose from to create whatever you're in the mood for:

Friendly

Altitude - Choose from Low, medium or high altitude for your flight.

Loadout - What type of weapons do you with for your flight. You can also select your custom saved loadouts that you created in the Arming screen.

Number of Wingmen - How many wingmen do you wish to accompany you on this mission.

Wingmen Skill - Determines how good your wingmen are. You can also select Random.

Formation - Choose between Wedge, Line, Trail and Vee formations.

Enemy

Number of Enemy Aircraft - Default to three but you can choose up to eight for a really big furball.

Skill Level - Choose from rookie to very skilled opponents.

Altitude - Low, medium and high. Loadout - None (Turkey shoot) Guns, Rear Aspect Heat, All Aspect Heat, Semi-active Radar, Active Radar.

Placement - CAP, Neutral, Advantage, Disadvantage. A/G Target - Choose the type of target you wish to strike. Wide range of targets from Factories to enemy ground troops.

Ground Defenses - Determines the density of AAA and SAMs in your target area

Ground Defense Skill - Accuracy of enemy ground defenses.

Environment - Allows you to choose the region, time and weather you will encounter.

As you can see there are tons of combinations to choose from. This allows you to practice various techniques and target strikes before entering the Single missions or Campaigns. I have set up loads of 2V2 air to air missions to hone my piloting skills and also heavy SAM defense missions to practice evasion techniques. Which brings me to my next discussion, Single missions and Campaigns.

Single Missions

Selecting the single mission section will bring up the selections for Loading a mission or the Mission Builder or Editor. If you select the Load option you can then choose from any of the prescripted missions that came with Janes F15, approx. 15 missions, in addition to any of the missions you download from the Internet or create on your own.

After you load your mission you will then go to the briefing screen to read about your mission. You can select a Map of the flight area to study for your flight. Then you can select to Arm your plane and look at the Target display as discussed in my last article.

The missions are all very well done and are all very exciting and very hard. The nice thing about the missions is that they have an element of unpredictability in them, so that group of Migs flying CAP over the target on one incursion might not be there the next time you fly it or they might show up in a different location.

Some of the missions you can download over the Internet are also very well done. Cowboys Baghdad mission is a blast and very hard to complete as is Raid on New Kabbash.

Campaigns

We have all gotten used to having fully dynamic campaigns in our sims lately. When I found out that Janes F15 would not, I was a little concerned. However after spending time with this simulation it has put my concerns to rest.

There are two campaigns in F15. They are a recreation of Desert Storm and another hypothetical campaign in Iran. I have only spent time in the Desert Storm campaign so far, so will only comment on it. The Desert Storm action in F15 is really well done. You will start out flying a patrol along the Saudi border to Iraq and Kuwait. Then as the war progresses you will be there for the opening shots.

Each mission takes you through the various parts of the air war. You will have to time your route to the target so you can escape undetected while other flights take out GCI sites and SAM sites. With all the radio chatter going on around you and the excitement of the missions themselves you will have a good feel of "being there". Although not dynamic in the old sense, there is enough random action occurring to allow excellent replay value. Most of the missions I have flown occur at night so you might want to practice flying these types of missions in the Instant Mission section of the simulator.

The terrain in Desert Storm looks great. The attention to detail over the cities and coastlines are wonderful. There are offshore Oil rigs, SAM sites, Factories and the city lights at night look great. The AAA arcing up in front of you is something else and you will be saying to yourself "I gotta fly through THAT"? You will be required to link up with escort flights etc… during various missions, even EA6 Prowlers and EF111 Jamming planes. The night-time action is great. SAM launches look real and you can see them launch at you or other members of your flight off in the distance.

The key to success in flying these and other strike missions is to fly low and fast. Turn off your radar and only use it when you need to for creating patch maps or High-resolution maps to acquire your target. Also I have found using Loft bombing in heavily defended targets helps. Usually once Fence in, I fly at 300ft using the Terrain Following Radar. Then 20 to 30 miles out I will pop up to get a picture of the target and then fly the rest of the way in below 300ft manually.

As for your flight, keep your wingmen in a trail formation and then order combat spread before you tell them to engage. The action gets crazy and sometimes the communication can become overwhelming so you have to concentrate on your target and what your WSO says to you. He has saved my butt many times by calling out missile launches that I didn't see or hear on the TEWS.

Conclusion

It's good to be in the saddle again in a great strike platform for the PC. Janes has proven again they have what it takes to follow on to great sims like Longbow2. No, F15 does not have Coop multiplayer and I would love to see it added, but what it does have far outweighs the coop multiplayer issue, I believe.

There is so much detail in this simulator. If you want a good challenge, do some Head to Head in F15. The flight model is fantastic and the choice of weapons superb. The special effects are about the best I have seen even when compared to Janes Longbow 2.

We've heard some complaints about graphics, but they are nicely done, even for 640x480, except for the rolling terrain I have seen in the mountains (hopefully fixed in a patch to come.) What this simulation has done is brought back the F15, pushed the envelope out again for the competition and done it with all the class of Janes Combat Simulations. The sky is your playground. Be the bully!

My next article will examine the mission builder. This thing is so big it deserves a review of its own. Some great missions are already being written and now you can fly "Raid on New Kabbash." Click HERE for the Mission Debrief and to download the mission. We expect to see many more great missions created by F15 pilots showing up soon, so watch this space!

Ed. Note: I was shot down over Baghdad yesterday and took this shot. It shows me after getting rid of my parachute. A moment later my WSO came running up to join me. As I panned around the area I noticed a convoy of trucks attempt to cross the bridge I had just hit, only to be forced to stop! Attention to detail? YES.