Air Duel 80 Years of Dogfighting

When "flight simulator" was mentioned in the nineties, I imagined something far more demanding. Air Duel 80 Years of Dogfighting is instead a curious attempt at something simpler — aerial duels across various aircraft and eras without unnecessary avionics cluttering the cockpit.

The game hands you a hybrid of arcade fun with historical pretense. You pilot a plane, shoot at targets or enemies, maneuver. The title promises eighty years of history — so from the very beginning to modern machines. Each era has its own look, at least when you examine it more closely. It's not a simulation studio for the manual-reading crowd, more like a 1995 phone game that became a PC title.

Controls are straightforward — spin the aircraft, hit the button, missiles fall. Physics speak more in the language of arcade logic than realism. You don't need to fly three kilometers to your target to get in range. Missions are short, quick, without unnecessary waiting. That worked well in the mid-nineties — a bit of free time and you were done. Graphics are simple, but readable in their own way. Environments are recognizable, individual planes have character.

What strikes me now: the game isn't deep. While F-15 Strike Eagle or Jane's Combat Simulations tackle systems and tactics, here it's about movement and shooting. After a few missions, you feel like you've seen everything. The historical content remains mostly surface-level. But that might not be a flaw — such games owed their nineteen seconds of fun to that very simplicity, until something else grabbed your attention.

Playing it today means reaching for a piece of nineties optimism, when flying and shooting was enough, without worrying about fuel reserves. Those seeking challenge and depth will be disappointed. Those wanting a few minutes of great flying and banging on the screen — here might be a pleasant surprise.