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Although conceived in 1967, it would be more than a dozen years before the Su-27 would become a viable long-range interceptor. Undergoing several major modifications, threatened cancellations and complete re-designs at various stages during development, the Su-27, as well as the MiG-31, were intended to seriously challenge the United States' F-15 for air combat supremacy. Even though several prototypes were flying in 1979, the aircraft was still plagued by poor performance and unacceptable stability. The Flanker was once again redesigned through several prototypes that incorporated massive development overhauls such as a new wing design that improved lift, increased fin size (the aircraft is somewhat similar to the F-15 in appearance with its twin fin design), a redesigned airbrake and flutter control. In 1981, the prototype designated as T-10S still suffered from avionics problems and it wasn't until 1985 (a decade after the F-15 was flying) that service deliveries began. In a two year timeframe between late 1986 and 1988, a stripped down, engine-modified version of the T-10S prototype set 27 world records including time-to-height marks. Finally, the Flanker began to establish its place in the skies as a modern day (circa 1990s) combat jet to be reckoned with. Flanker 2.0: Combat Flight Simulator, developed by a team of more than 30 people, puts you in the pilot's seat of two variations of this combat aircraft. The Su-27, an air-to-air interceptor, and the Su-33, initially designated as the Su-27K, that functions as a multi-role aircraft designed for carrier-based aviation. Although the Su-33 is heavier and exceeds the Su-27 in performance capability (engine power), the cockpits, controls and avionics systems are nearly mirror images of each other. The game ships with a 250-plus page manual that covers every aspect of the flight simulation. Included are topics such as training missions, emergency procedures, a "how to" ground school, avionics and combat systems, tactics and weapons usage, cockpit and instrument information, multi-play instructions and more. For those wishing to create their own scenarios and campaigns, Flanker 2.0 provides a Mission Editor with a step-by-step treatise on design procedures and the eventual linkage into campaign format. Campaigns (including your own designs) in the game initially play like missions but are multi-phased. Completion of one phase will "unlock" additional missions. The setting for the campaign in Flanker 2.0 is entirely fictional and takes place in the skies above the Crimean Peninsula, situated on the Black Sea, and was chosen for its diversified photo-realistic terrain and natural boundaries. The game supports multi-player modes on both a LAN and the Internet and allows head-to-head competition or cooperative missions. Other features include a new 3D sound system with Doppler effects, a new graphics engine, better flight dynamics than its predecessor, Russian satellite imagery, accurate damage modeling, an in-cockpit instructor during training missions and even a Russian to English alphabet conversion table with pronunciation keys. Flanker 2.0: Combat Flight Simulator requires a 3D accelerator card and includes the Roger Wilco application that allows real time chat during online multi-player action. A wide array of gameplay adjustments gives each player an opportunity to configure the game for his or her own computer and provides a huge number of variables for adjusting skill levels. Additional free scenarios can be found at www.flanker2.com/index10.html.