Game review: Tom Clancy's HAWX

Published on Thursday 19 March 2009 10:34

(PC/PS3/XB360, £39.99-£44.99)

FIGHTER JET COMBAT REALLY lends itself to video game treatment; there's death-defiance, breakneck speed and no shortage of explosions. However, there are few flight titles on the market as they are usually sub-standard affairs. The latest from Tom Clancy's game range, HAWX, bucks the trend.

While not perfect, the game is an aesthetic marvel, giving you a real sense of speed and scope as you cruise at Mach 2 over burning oil fields dropping your payload onto enemy troops and tanks. It's big, it's loud and, for the most part, clever, with satellite-mapped combat zones and an intuitive flight path system.

Entering this mode brings up a real-time flight path that, if followed, will eventually bring you directly behind your foe, perfect for getting a good missile lock. This is also used to evade oncoming missiles and strike ground targets.

Tied together by a plot involving a rogue private military contractor, the missions zip along nicely, giving you a chance to learn the basics before graduating to the fun, white-knuckle stuff, such as deliberately stalling your plane to drop below advancing foes. The online multi-player is a thoroughly enjoyable experience but, after a while, the offline missions begin to feel too similar. A brilliant start to what will hopefully be a long series.