Wings Of Power II: World War II Fighters

by Tri Synergy

Product Features

• Printed 17-by-14-inch checklists based on actual pilot's manual checklist
• Sequel to Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons with 5 popular WWII fighters
• Gorgeously constructed aircraft; built from actual flight tests and pilot's manual
• Professionally recorded and mastered authentic audio; special-effects package
• Authentic drop-tank release actually drops both fuel and weight

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000G1F8BY
• Item Weight: 7 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: June 20, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,655 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Wings of Power II: WWII Fighters is the sequel to the number one- and number two-rated Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons, FirePower and Wings of Power: WWII Heavy Bombers and Jets. Included are five of the most popular WWII fighters produced: the P-51 Mustang, the Spitfire, the Messerschmitt Bf-109, the Japanese Zero, and the P-47 Thunderbolt.

The Special Edition includes large, printed 17-by-14-inch checklists for each aircraft. These checklists are high-quality, easy to read, and based on the actual checklist in the pilot's manual for the specific aircraft. Deigned to be easily folded many ways to quickly access all the information you need.

Features:

• Built with the very latest "Absolute Realism" flight technology; built from actual aircraft flight tests and pilot's manual
• Gorgeously constructed aircraft, inside and out, down to the last rivet
• Professionally recorded and mastered authentic audio
• Authentic drop-tank release actually drops both fuel and weight
• 3D cockpits so real, they look just like their 2D rendered counterparts
• Special Effects package includes historically accurate lighting for stunning nighttime visuals, realistic startup visuals modeled after the real aircraft, and belly landings with realistic effects and physics programming

Product Description

Features include:

•Printed 17-by-14-inch checklists based on actual pilot's manual checklist
•Sequel to Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons with 5 popular WWII fighters
•Gorgeously constructed aircraft; built from actual flight tests and pilot's manual
•Professionally recorded and mastered authentic audio; special-effects package
•Authentic drop-tank release actually drops both fuel and weight

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love vintage warbirds, get this now!!!, July 21, 2006

By 

J. Turner Jr. (Titusville, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wings Of Power II: World War II Fighters (CD-ROM)

Shockwave Productions has established itself as one of the premiere addon developers for Microsoft Flight Simulator. "WWII Fighters" continues their tradition of delivering both quality and quantity in every release; for your money you get five separate fighter planes, each with a fully functioning cockpit and interesting animations like bomb and drop tank release. The P-47D-20 and P-51D are culled from two of Shockwave's e-commerce packages that each have several variants of these planes; both models have been significantly improved for the "WWII Fighters" release. The Bf-109E and Spitfire Mk.I models appear to have been made FS2004 compatible from Shockwave's "Battle of Britain II: Wings of Victory" game, a makeover of the Rowan's classic. The A6M5 is completely new and is currently unavailable in any other form from the developers at this time.

The software ships with three full-color 'cockpit map' foldout sheets. Each sheet is dedicated to two of the aircraft in the package, one per side, and offers important information. Looking at the P-47 sheet, the user sees: 1) History of the plane; 2) a cockpit guage reference with labels; 3) "Important Things to Know About Your Aircraft"; 4) P47D22 Technical Specifications; 5) Cockpit checklist - controls; 6) Pre-takeoff Check; 7) Engine Starting checklist; 8) Taxi and Takeoff recomendations; 9) After Takeoff checklist; 10) Climb; 11) Cruise Control Schedule; 12) Landing Checklist; 13) Engine Limitations and Characteristics. The other maps are similarly detailed, although not always with the same topics of information. The final page compares the five planes' in-game performance and also explains the process the developers use to create authentic flight models.

Unlike many FS addon planes, "WWII Fighters" aircraft will bite you if you don't treat them with respect. This only adds to the fun of this product; the real challenge is learning to fly the planes correctly. The developers recommend that customers supplement their flying experience by acquiring copies of the Pilot Operating Handbooks for the actual planes; I can personally attest that the "Roaring Glory: P-47 Thunderbolt" DVD w/ WWII-era training film and operating manual have helped me understand the computer simulation much more. The planes in this software package are, in my opinion, as close as one can currently get to flying the actual warbirds.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely magnificent!, August 1, 2008

By 

Jefferson T. Packer (Taos, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wings Of Power II: World War II Fighters (CD-ROM)

First of all, my qualifications: I'm a 3000 hour commercial flight instructor, aged 40, and I started flying on PC's in 1982, on a green-screen Apple IIe with the original Microsoft Flight Simulator when the "horizon" was a pixel line. Since then I've logged thousands of hours on everything from "Microprose F-19 Stealth Fighter" all the way up to the latest version of "Falcon 4.0" for Windows XP, not to mention plenty of time on Microsoft Flight Simulator X. For whatever it's worth, folks, I know what I'm talking about where PC-based flight sims are concerned.

This latest "Wings of Power" release is an absolute masterpiece. Would I have liked to have seen two of the Me-109's replaced with an Me-262 and something outlandish like a rocket powered Komet? Sure. Would I have like the Mitsubishi Zero to have been a little less buggy? Absolutely.

And those are my only complaints. Now to the good stuff: The flight models, cockpits, sound effects and systems on all of these incredible, magnificent airplanes are the kind of near Amish-quality hand craftsmanship that we almost never see on PC-based flight sims. The P-51D Mustang especially is one of the most magnificently modeled aircraft ever made available to the PC pilot, and the truth is that for those of you who love the Mustang like I do, this is probably the best P-51 that will ever be available to you during your lifetime unless you have a million dollars and an unlimited fuel card.

If you are a PC pilot, you know (unless you've been hiding under a rock,) that the golden age of PC flight is pretty much over. Almost all of the great sims of the past, like Jane's WWII Fighters, USNF '97, Chuck Yeager's Air Combat, F-117A Stealth Fighter, F-22 Raptor, etc. have been left behind and have not made the jump to Windows XP or Vista. If you are my age, you can remember when newer, better, more amazing flight sims were hitting the shelves at CompUSA literally every 3 to 6 months.

But CompUSA is gone, and so is the PC gaming market that drove the development of those great flight sims. Everything has moved to TV-based boxes, which can't support anything close to the level of technical sophistication that we enjoy in a sim like Falcon 4.0 or MS-FS-X.

The good news, though, is that if you want to fly some VERY accurate and VERY entertaining World War II fighters, buy this Wings of Power release now, before it disappears just like so many of our favorites from the past have. The people who are trashing it either have software bugs in their PC's to work out, or are just naysayers. It installed perfectly in my Dell Dimension 8400 with XP, and runs very smoothly.

Almost as smooth as a real Merlin V12, which is what you'll feel like you're flying.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Problems not Correctible, March 7, 2008

By 

Richard Walters "Dick" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Wings Of Power II: World War II Fighters (CD-ROM)

Having thoroughly enjoyed Wings of Power, WWII Bombers, I purchased this product to use with FS 2004. Immediately two issues arose. First, there is no cockpit in standard view, only in virtual view. Secondly and more disturbing, the P-51 (almost everyone's favorite WWII fighter) is unflyable in all but straight and level flight. As soon as you start maneuvers, it stalls and spins out of control. We certainly would not have won the war this way. And finally, Shockwave apparently has ignored the program as there are no correction patches available for this problem.
Don't waste your money!