FLIGHT WITHOUT FANCY.

Byline: Redmond Carolipio Staff Writer

'AIRFORCE Delta Strike'' is a flying game that doesn't really let you fly.

That's a problem.

For me, the biggest allure of flight games is the chance at unbridled freedom. Both arcade and simulation fliers let gamers of all ages live out their ``Top Gun'' fantasies. You can knife and spiral through a digital sky, taking out anyone who dares to share the same stratosphere.

But ``Airforce Delta Strike'' puts a muzzle on that inner Maverick. You don't fly into the danger zone - you're funneled into it.

The flight controls are basic, almost antiquated. You can pull up or down and bank left or right. You've also got your share of guns and missiles. The problem here is that you can't execute moves like flips, spins and rolls, which kills the excitement of engaging the enemy. Most of your ``dogfights'' consist of a lot of turning and cruising. Your supposedly agile fighter plane feels more like a giant gunship, meandering around blasting ground targets and occasionally picking off an enemy jet. Frustration also mounts with constant warnings about flying too low (annoying alert noise) or too high (you stall).

All this is unfortunate, because ``ADS'' had some things going for it.

First of all, the game gives you 60 missions, some of which take you into outer space. Each mission provides you a chance to digest the game's vibrant, detailed visuals. From the cast of anime-style characters to the mechanical nuances of the aircraft, ``ADS'' is one of those games that's actually more fun to watch than play.

Perhaps this title's best feature is the selection of aircraft. When it's all said and done, players will have roughly 130 planes to play with, ranging from modern jets to the propeller planes used in World War II. This is very cool if you like history, and it's surreal to take on the enemies with your propeller buzzing in the background. Sadly, that might be the only aspect of the game's sound I like.

I'm not sure who thought easygoing electronic jazz was good flight combat music. We'll just leave it at that. Also pounding your ears is constant radio chatter, which would be fine if some of the dialogue wasn't so bad. Mixed in with the commonplace blurbs of ``Fox 2!'' and ``Kill by Viper 2 confirmed'' are cheesy lines like ``The hunter sees his prey!'' and ``You called me a butt-wipe? Oh, you'll pay for that.'' This is distracting, even annoying, during combat. Unfortunately, it's an integral part of the game's atmosphere. Even at the home base, players are inundated with a barrage of dialogue boxes whenever they choose to talk to someone. This drives down the tempo of the game even further, as if it needed to slow.

``Airforce Delta Strike'' is the latest in a series of what are usually good ``Airforce Delta'' games, but it falls behind its predecessors. With today's speeds, only the adventure titles and role-playing games can afford a deliberate pace. Flying and racing games have little room for error - if they're not fast enough, then they have to be different. ``Airforce Delta Strike'' is neither.

AIRFORCE DELTA STRIKE - Two stars

Platform: PS2.

Price: $39.99.

Rated: T for Teen.

In a nutshell: More fun to watch than to play.

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