The Battle of Britain 2

Deadly Games' Battle of Britain 2  puts players in what must have been the unenviable position of defending southern England against the almost incessant attacks of the Luftwaffe in 1940. Play is based in the war room of Uxbridge where players control the overmatched Royal Air Force as it tries to hold off a more experienced and better supplied enemy.

The game's documentation succeeds at setting the simulation's mood. Antique-style pamphlets describe the resolve of the British people and the chain of transmission towers, binocular-equipped volunteers, and radio location systems that warn of German attacks. Players direct the defense from a map contained in a somewhat small window. The map, which divides the country into defensible sectors and shows every airfield, is the same one British commanders used in the war.

Battles occur when incoming messages indicate Germans approaching the coast. The key to the game lies in the British having planes in the air and within range of the attackers. Scoring reflects the RAF's defensive mission by awarding points for more than just destroying enemy planes. For example, two points are won for each German fighter group put out of action, but the same points are given for turning back a raid and for simply surviving another day. Friendly planes gain proficiency with each battle survived, but damaged planes are out of commission until repairs are made.

Deadly Games threw in some nice touches with the London Daily Mail, which pops up to provide updates on the day's victories and losses. Along with the statistics, the front page often includes Nazi war cartoons showing British girls cheating on their soldier beaus or stories about pilots' woefully short training. Other Products from Deadly Games include U-Boat, M4 (tank simulation), and Bomber2.