Heroes over Europe Review

And here's another one! [plane]

Aside from the accessibility of its action, Heroes of Europe also gains credit for its audio work. All the voice acting is of a better-than-average standard, and there's plenty of it too. The English RAF officers are just the right side of being extremely hammy, with lashings of "What ho, old boy!" and other period charm. These spiffing chaps are joined by a commendably cosmopolitan cast, with Scots, cockneys, Yanks and Kiwis all mucking in to fight the dastardly Bosch. This varied selection of voices adds genuine colour to the game, and in general the game feels far more multi-national than a lot WW2 titles.

Unfortunately, all this charm can only carry things so far. Despite its spirited efforts, there's no getting away from the fact that Heroes Over Europe is a very limited game. Aside from the main campaign, which you'll be able to tear through in the course of a day, the only other attraction is a fairly bare-bones multiplayer mode. True, as you progress through the game you'll gradually unlock a selection of planes that can then be used to replay old missions - but unless you have a desperate urge to defend London in a Messerschmitt, this is unlikely to hold much appeal.

In any case, when you see what London actually looks like here, you might be inclined to leave it to the German bombers. The plane models in Heroes are fairly solid and detailed, but the rest of the game looks pretty woeful, with towns and cities largely consisting of identical, block-shaped buildings. Even when the graphics do take a stab at diversity, the results leave a lot to be desired. One early, in-game cutscene shows Big Ben being destroyed by a bomb (it's okay, it's only a dream); this is supposed to be a dramatic moment, but since the landmark resembles something made on Blue Peter, there's a good chance you'll laugh out loud.

Indeed, there are a few things about Heroes that may provoke a grin or two. My favourite quirk is the fact that when planes collide in mid-air, they'll bounce away from each other rather than exploding in a ball of fiery death. If you're really lucky, you'll also get the sound effect that sounds like a teenager reversing his Dad's Volvo into a wall. Some of the game's objectives are equally baffling. One assignment finds you shooting sea mines that are blocking the path of several oil tankers near the cliffs of Dover. This is a pretty strange assignment already, but on top of that, the boats refuse to stop to let you do your work. If you don't work quickly, they'll sail straight into oblivion. The idea is that the boats are fleeing from the German planes in the area, but even under these circumstances I'm sure that most captains would want to avoid certain death.

While it's far from being a total disaster, it's hard to recommend Heroes Over Europe to anyone but the most ardent Spitfire fan. As an arcade blaster it does a reasonable job, but repetition ensures that even the ridiculous-but-fun Ace Kills get old quickly. If you're looking for a long-term fix of WW2 fighter action, check out Battlestations: Pacific, or perhaps IL-2 Sturmovik. As it stands, Heroes is probably only worth a quick rental - and only then if you love the banter of dashing RAF pilots. Crying shame, old sport, what?