Enemy Engaged (Mac)

Rating:
Summary: Demo Looks good
Review: I just downloaded the demo and it really looks fun! Took me a while to figure out the controls but after that I enjoyed it a lot. A few complaints: Sometimes planes will point in a odd direction but still move forward. Only saw that happen once though. Also I would like it more if you could control all of the vehicles/troops instead of just copters. Other than those two minor problems, a great game. I am waiting a week to save up and then I am buying it!

Rating:
Summary: Review for the Alaska Apple Users Group
Review: The past few years have seen a drought in the flight simulator market. Quality choices are growing fewer and farther in between - particularly on the Macintosh. Gone are the days when F/A-18 Hornet and A-10 Attack! Led the way for Mac software sales.

X-Plane is probably the most notable exception, but it is not a combat flight simulator. Those who crave action have been waiting for a new title and many might find what they're looking for in Enemy Engaged: Comanche vs. Hokum.

By porting this popular sim - which has already saturated the Windows market - Feral Interactive has been able to into the market well before the modest update that is F/A-18 Operation Iraqi Freedom. With no real competition on the horizon, Enemy Engaged will be in a prominent position for a while.

While it won't offer up the sort of Top Gun excitement that many expect from a simulator, there's combat aplenty. The difference is that this app simulates ground attack helicopters rather than multi-role fighters!

In the game you are able to take the controls of the title aircraft in each of three geographically and politically diverse campaigns. You can fight on both sides of each conflict - piloting either the Russian Ka-52 Hokum or the American RAH-66 Comanche.

The US Army's Comanche project was cancelled this year, so it will never actually fight on any battlefield, but the game still realistically pits it against the Russian built Hokum in a sophisticated real-time strategic simulation.

It's not a complex button and knob simulator, but it is no arcade shooter either. It's a real challenge to work the fire control system while flying nap of the earth and dodging surface to air missiles.

And the graphics aren't too bad either. This game has been out for Windows for quite some time, so the technology is dated, but the port includes a few updates such as full screen anti-aliasing that are not available on the Windows version. Besides, the simpler graphics keeps the system requirements low.

The real strength of the game, however, lies in those interactive campaigns. Before taking the pilot or gunners seat you must review the situation in real time, select missions as they develop, and assign aircraft to accomplish them. Overseeing the operational level of the conflict while simultaneously making a difference in the cockpit one mission at a time can become quite engrossing.

The same is true in multi-player games. You can team up with several allies and enemies, taking part in a real-time campaign online via GameRanger. The added element of a real thinking opponent - or sometimes a strategically inept one - makes the game play much more interesting.

Noticeably absent from the game is a real feel of join operations. There are no Air Force planes or Marine Corps divisions to work with and one wonders how Army Aviation can be so unilaterally powerful.

Like any simulator, there is a steep learning curve. Unfortunately the included guide hardly talks you through getting into the air. The extended manual is only provided on the disc and without reading it you're not likely to complete - or even survive - your first mission.

But once you get the hang of it, Enemy Engaged is a great helicopter combat sim. It is fairly realistic, fun to watch, challenging, and makes the player the keystone of success for an entire war. Unless you're solely a fixed-wing aviator, I'd recommend this game to all sim pilots. And not just because it's the best we're going to get for a while!