For several years, FIGHT IN THE SKIES enjoyed the position of being the only serious wargame dedicated to recreation of the aerial combat of WW I. This position had some advantages, but inevitably other wargames on the same subject had to come. And finally, in 1972 and 1973, they have come in the form of S & T's FLYING CIRCUS and now Avalon Hill's new RICHTHOFEN'S WAR. Since this is a journal itself devoted to WW I air gaming, a review of AH's new release is in order.

As the designer of FIGHT IN THE SKIES, I can make no bones about where I stand when it comes to comparing both of these designs to my own. Still, I have really tried to keep an open mind in evaluating the merits of both of these designs. In the end, I feel they come quite a bit short of equalling the excitement and realism found in FIGHT IN THE SKIES.

Before publication, Avalon Hill gave (and is still giving) RICHTHOFEN'S WAR a tremendous publicity push. They have claimed that the game's two biggest features are its realism and its ability to re-create some of the "feeling" of the excitement of aerial combat as it was in WWI.

After reading all about how great RW was going to be, I was actually looking forward to seeing and playing the game. From the publicity release, it sure looked like FIGHT IN THE SKIES had been outdone.

When I finally got to examine the game and to play it, I was quite relieved to find that in actuality AH had put out a game that came up quite big short next to FIGHT IN THE SKIES. I was actually rather surprised that they hadn't done better, having the ideas advanced earlier in FITS and FLYING CIRCUS to enlarge and improve upon. After all the buildup, the actual game was a distinct disappointment.

The game itself is not a bad game, unless you have already experienced something more in-depth like FIGHT IN THE SKIES. For those who have never played FITS (and there are many!), this game should be quite enjoyable, which should account for the popularity AH expects it to enjoy. The game is relatively simple, is not difficult to learn, and is quasi-realistic. Those features should endear it to the mass wargame buying public. A somewhat attractive box cover and the typical slick AH printing should also hype sales.

Inside, the game include& folding rules sheet (like LUFTWAFFE'S) plus a lengthy handbook (for some reason called a "Mission Briefing Manual") full of historical info. There are 180 playing pieces (not all are aircraft), plus a color mapboard (which is nice until the novelty wears off and eyestrain sets in). The components are professionally done and all in all, there are few real flaws in the physical layout (and actually the board isn't as bas as I've made it sound).

There are some real flaws, however, in some aspects of the game itself. The time setting for the game is based on Richthofen's career (they really go the route on exploiting the Red Baron's name and his popularity), which means the emphasis is on the period from the fall of 1916 through the spring of 1918.

This means that although the pusher era is covered, there is a gap in trying to recrate some of the action of the summer and fall of 1918. Specs are included for planes of that later time, but the emphasis is on the earlier time when Richthofen was in his heyday.

The mechanics of play are remarkably similar to those of FLYING CIRCUS, and this is the first feature that strikes a player who has experienced both designs. I was really surprised at how much the two games were alike. I imagine the boys at SPI might have been a little surprised themselves after seeing RW!

The actual playing procedure is easy to learn and is fairly simple. Data is recorded on a standard "Aircraft Status Pad" (another name for hit sheet). The biggest problem is that altitude is used throughout the game as stated in meters, which is quite awkward until you get used to it (although some of us probably never will). The turns are stated as being ten seconds long, which means that the climb rates listed in the game for all the aircraft gives them a climbing ability ranking with a Boeing 727 (or so it seems if you do a little figuring).

In any case, this seems to be a serious lapse in the design. The scale in FIGHT IN THE SKIES is not constant, but it doesn't interfere with actual performance specifications as it does here.

RICHTHOFEN'S WAR boasts plenty of realistic extras like gun jamming, critical hits, and so on. But in each case they are very simplified versions of the more complex and realistic rules found in FIGHT IN THE SKIES.

For a critical hit table, there is a single two-dice chart encompassing all areas with critical hits possible only on certain rolls of the attacker. it's easy and simple, but not very realistic. And the gun jamming rule is so poor it's laughable - when firing two turns in a row there is a 33% chance of jamming, and there is no way you can attempt to clear a jam after it occurs! If your gun jams in RICHTHOFEN'S WAR you might as well fly home, put the game away and take out your copy of KRIEGSPIEL...

As a plus, rules are provided for a "campaign version" which allows for extended play. Seven scenarios are included for those who lack the imagination to create their own games from scratch, or who desire a ready-made situation to eliminate the need for planning or spontaniety.

As far as creating that elusive "feeling" of WWI aerial combat, the game comes up a little short. I mean, after you've ridden down a flamer from 3000 feet in FIGHT IN THE SKIES, it takes something more than a suggestion of realism to fire you up.

The biggest drawback of the game is its price, which, if you'll pardon the pun, is sky-high at $9.00. For what you're getting, it's just not worth it. I think FIGHT IN THE SKIES at $6.95 is overpriced, but this is ridiculous!

RICHTHOFEN'S WAR is sure to be a popular game, as most AH games are. But it won't be because it's the best or most realistic game on the market. That honor will remain with FIGHT IN THE SKIES. RICHTHOFEN'S WAR is accurate, but not realistic; challenging, but not exciting; in short, good, but not great. The kids will play RICHTHOFEN'S WAR - the true enthusiasts and the real air fighters will play FIGHT IN THE SKIES.