A flight simulation with an extreme emphasis on the "flight".
The avionics of the Flanker approaches each task from a totally different angle compared to simulations of U.S. military jets. The first thing you'll notice is the lone MFD on the upper right. All modes, from navigation, air-to-air and ground attack modes are displayed here.
In stark contrast to Jane's F-15 simulation, the Flanker/Su-27 is an interceptor. You'll see that a lot of the Avionics Mode is geared toward air-to-air engagements. The scanning mode of the radar is different with each mode. The first scan mode I was able to remember was the vertical scan mode. Make no mistake, this is not your run-off-the-mill simulation that anyone can just pick up and have fun with. You can easily lose lock(and sight) of your adversary. I found the vertical scan mode to be useful in dogfights where you can turn into the enemy with your radar able to pick up beyond the field of vision of the HUD ( which is a bit further up). Other scan modes include a bore sight mode and a focused radar beam (for more stealth).
As for all flight simulations since the incarnation of 3D graphics, there is a pan view (POV) inside the cockpit. It is easy to lose your bearings following your enemy in a dogfight, (i.e. scissors, or while executing the yo-yo). Flanker 2.0 has a unique feature that gives you a horizontal indicator wherever you turn your virtual head. Thus, wherever you look, you can see if your plane is in a nose dive and this is very helpful.
Now, from previous sims you might expect to scan and lock the targets with a cursor in the MFD. However with the Flanker, the scan and cursor is directly displayed on your HUD. To add to the immersion, an option to display everything in Russian is also available. There are many other modes and differences but I don't want to turn this review into a manual.
Gameplay
Compared to Jane's F-15/ F/A-18, the avionic modes are easy to memorize and get used to. Now in all my simulation years, only SSI (now defunct) provided cleanly organized quick reference cards that are very useful to mapping your HOTAS. This is something I sorely missed with LO-MAC.
Most of the time, you'll be scrolling in a windows like environment when you choose the mission you want to play. To me, this takes away a lot of the immersion. This is the basis of my comment "emphasis on the flight". The campaign is almost non-existent (being kind). No doubt it is rushed, and the developers seemingly counted on the community to fill in the void instead.
Now, onto the engagements, truly, this is a very difficult game. In novalogic, it is quite elementary to avoid missiles, however in this game, surviving an encounter with the phoenix missile is a feat itself. There were many instructional videos, discussions about the techniques and concepts on what would or would not work against the phoenix in forums. Another difficult mission is the "guns only" dogfight against the F-15. Also, a routine subject in the Flanker Community.
Sounds/Graphics
I'm not qualified to judge whether the sounds are realistic or not, but they are immersive, from the "******* Betty" to the alarms and missiles.
The Graphics are top notch even when compared today's standards. The canopy reflections, the crisp and clean terrain plus the volumetric clouds are vital to the player's experience in these types of games.
Overall
Don't look for a campaign or a memorable theater of operations. The interface detract from the ambiance (it's not like the menu screens of Longbow, Jane's F-15 or F/A-18). What this game will leave you though is a very accurate experience of flying/operating the Su-27 Flanker and that's all.