Frequent Fliers Earn a Trip to Hell!

Spotlighting the intense, aerial close-combat of World War II, Activision Inc.'s upcoming flight simulation Fighter Squadron: Screamin' Demons Over Europe packs the throaty rumble, split-second agility and short-range armament of the most notable planes of the era. Developed by Parsoft Interactive, makers of the award-winning A-10 series, the game showcases an all-new physics model and authentic environments that produce an awesome airwar experience.

"Screamin' Demons Over Europe puts players in the pilot's seat of the most formidable fighters and bombers of the Axis and the Allies in World War II," says Bobby Kotick, Chairman and CEO, Activision, Inc. "Without laser-guided missiles, computer navigation systems and long-range rockets, pilots need sharp eyes and agile plane-handling in order to succeed, just like the airmen of that great war."

Featuring a ground-breaking simulator engine based on the most accurate inertia, gravity and force calculations to date, Screamin' Demons Over Europe vividly recreates the up-close and personal combat of The Great War. The simulation depicts three unique scenarios from WWII: the English Channel, Rhineland and Northern African theaters. Choosing from nine different planes, including the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the Focke-Wulf Fw.190 F-8 and the Messerschmidt ME-262 - the first jet fighter on earth - players can rewrite history by puncturing enemy warbirds with abandon as they develop their piloting skill.

The aircraft in SD will each feature unique handling and flight characteristics. As is standard for modern simulations, flight models will be selectable for novices, and other difficulty and cheat options will also be available. A player can enter at one level and as their confidence and ability grow, they can move on to more advanced levels of gameplay.

SD will be realised by the next generation of Parsoft's rendering engine is known as "G3". The idea was to create an engine that emulated the most best features of high-end graphics computers with software. G3 lets the game designer assume he has high precision perspective corrected texturing, Z-buffering, Bi-linear filtering, alpha blending etc. It gives the designer tremendous flexibility when coding special effects (explosions, fire, smoke, etc.), modeling aircraft systems (instrument panels, control surfaces), and simulating environmental effects (shadows, weather, etc.). G3 is loosely based on OpenGL and will be compatible with hardware 3d accelerators.

SD will have a uniquely interactive environment with a level of fidelity so high that all parts of the planes move and react to forces just as they would in real life. In actual combat in the second world war flying behind another aircraft and blazing away with your guns and cannon was risky business. As your shells hit your opponent pieces of his aircraft blow off, and if you fly through that debris your own plane could be damaged. Because the SD physics simulation is responsible for all motion, you might run into an engine that has come out of your target. The force of the impact could damage your plane, or even cause you to enter a spin. Previous WWII simulators have not had this level of intelligence.

Naturally, SD will offer standard multi-player options inluding network, modem, and internet gaming.