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Modern air combat. The Middle East. Tactical Mission Planner. Weapons Officer. Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) Commander. Front-line combat pilot. Situations involving all of these and much more are offered in Total Air War by Digital Image Design (DID). Although the campaigns and scenarios are fictional, the international conflicts contained within the game are based on plausible and even potential actions, all played out in real-time. Set in a politically contested and dangerous air war theater, Total Air War invites the player to try his or her hand at not just piloting the deadly efficient F-22, but to make a difference in this virtual replication of the Middle East. Building on their successful F-22 Air Dominance Fighter and EF2000 efforts , DID expands the global thrust of their simulations by placing you dead center in ten open-ended dynamic and far-reaching campaigns. There's a 328-page manual to take novice and expert gamers through the rigorous paces required to perform efficiently and flawlessly in planning, research and execution of complex battle plans. Complementing the manual is a fully developed system of tutorials that include educational missions and Air Combat Maneuvers Instrumentation (ACMI) training. Hands on mission planning is realistically emulated through the use of lessons learned via the Gulf War, including the Five Rings Process, developed by United States Air Force Colonel John A. Warden III, a forward-thinking, radical departure from past strategic planning processes. Using just the manual's major headings pertaining only to the F-22 as an example, the level of detail provided by the DID designers can be observed: Avionics (5 sub-headings), Basic Flight (10), Air-to-Air Combat (5), Air-to-Ground Combat (4), Maneuvers, Wingmen Commands, In-Game Speech and Radio Frequencies. Because of the non-linear approach to the non-scripted missions, Total Air War has been developed with a high-degree of replay in mind. In fact, the player, through his or her actions, directs the pace and scope of the missions. The predicted (or unpredictable) balance of power in the Red Sea region at the start of the coming millennium serves as the anchor for the campaigns and, with such a volatile arena of operations, mission objectives can change quickly and unexpectedly. The player monitors each campaign from a War Room where both enemy and ally missions can be tracked, utilizing hourly AWACS updates. Total Air War features more than 22,000 targets, over 5,000 named cities and towns, plus more than 300 airfields, each with correct runways and buildings Besides the F-22, the game focuses on other major aircraft such as the E-3 Sentry, EF2000, MiG-29M, Dassault Rafale and the Sukhoi Su-35. Additionally, identifiable military and civilian hardware in Total Air War includes 31 types of ground vehicles, 18 ship types, five fighter aircraft, 11 strike attack aircraft, 6 reconnaissance planes, two AWACS style aircraft, nine helicopters, five transport and three civil aircraft, two tanker planes and one SEAD, as well as a vast array of missiles, bombs and weapon systems. Up to eight players are supported in multi-player format. In addition to head-to-head missions, there are co-operative missions that enable you to fly with your friends. The game supports local area network play as well as Internet play at several sites. Using the custom combat editor can add hours and hours of gameplay. Players can even customize their own picture and squadron patch on the login screen. Other features contained in Total Air War consist of 4.5 million square kilometers of 3D enhanced terrain, a custom combat option that allows for personalized dogfight and strike missions, scramble missions, detailed mission planning and identifiable airfields. Whether carrying out your mission as a United States Forces Battlespace Commander in the control center of an AWACS or a United States A