It may not evolve on its predecessor, but Tom Clancy's HAWX 2 is an entertaining air combat game with plenty of content and variety.

My review disclaimer for H.A.W.X. 2 is that I'm a huge aerial buff. I've been obsessed with flying since I was young, but have inner ear issues that have held me back, thus I've been living the exciting fighter-pilot life vicariously through the likes of NamcoBandai's Ace Combat series, and more...

Tom Clancy's Unstoppable Game Machine rolls into town and this time it's towing a variety of flying machines in its wake. The sequel to last year's hit-and-miss aerial combat game is seeking permission from the tower and preparing to take-off.

Growing up in the eighties you had to have seen Top Gun and come away with the idea that becoming a fighter pilot was probably the coolest job in the world. The power and speed of some of the most technically advanced machines ever made by man is enough to make any man weak at the knees.

Climatic finale; Great sound design on the planes

Lacks longevity; Ear grating music; Below average terrain and unit graphics

" H.A.W.X. 2 " is a big improvement over its predecessor in so many ways. The campaign and story are better, the P.E.C. system works well, and from up high, it looks simply gorgeous.

Calling Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 a flight simulator would be a lie. Yes, it has realistically recreated aircraft that the player steers through the air above accurately modeled landscapes. Yes, you get to enter into air-to-air combat and air-to-ground combat. But this is no simulator.

Hawx 2 is quite similar to the original hawx, but ubisoft have made it more realistic without ruining the fun part of it. The gameplay is similar, but now has more elements to it (air to air refuelling, take off and landing, ac130 gunships) definatley worth it

HAWX 2 is a nearly game. It does provide a wealth of different aircraft and mission types, co-op and single player and adversarial multiplayer across Xbox Live, but what the game offers in variety, it lacks in overall polish.

Lots of different aircraft; Plenty of mission variety; Including take-off & landing seems more fulfilling

All aircraft feel the same to fly; Horribly stupid team mate AI; Controls feel inadequate with the joypad

In air combat terms, the word furball is used to describe a densely populated dogfight. You'll find yourself in plenty of furballs in Tom Clancy's HAWX 2, and, for the most part, they're tense, exciting and rewarding. But these furballs don't always go down well.

Exciting aerial combat; Looks great from the air; Good multiplayer options; Plenty of different planes to fly

Uneven enemy AI; Looks bad closer to the ground; Some poor collision detection; Non-fighter missions are hit and miss

What is it about flight combat that is so hard to pin down? There are usually two schools of thought on the subject. One camp leans towards the ultra realistic, favouring the hardcore simulation with terms like pitch, roll and yaw coming into play.