Battlehawks 1942

Battlehawks 1942 is a naval air combat flight simulation developed and published by Lucasfilm Games in October 1988, designed by Lawrence Holland. It was the first entry in Lucasfilm's acclaimed WWII flight simulation trilogy, followed by Their Finest Hour and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe. You can fly as either an American or Japanese pilot across four pivotal 1942 Pacific battles: the Coral Sea, Midway, Eastern Solomons, and Santa Cruz Islands. Authentic aircraft include the F4F Wildcat, SBD Dauntless, and TBF Avenger on the U.S. side, and the A6M Zero, D3A Val, and B5N Kate on the Japanese side. Missions range from fighter interception and bomber escort to dive-bombing and torpedo attacks. Each mission begins with a detailed briefing, and you start airborne—no takeoffs or landings required. Realism settings include invincibility, unlimited ammo, and adjustable enemy skill.

DOS

Released in October 1988 for MS-DOS, this original version features a sprite-based 3D engine where bitmaps are rotated and scaled depending on your view. Aircraft visibly take hits, catch fire, smoke, explode, and pilots bail out with parachutes. The cockpit view displays essential instruments: airspeed, altimeter, fuel, compass, and damage indicators. Notably, the DOS version lacks joystick support—controls use mouse and keyboard or keyboard alone. Frame rate can suffer during intense action on slower machines. Excellent pilots earn promotions and medals including the Air Medal, DFC, Navy Cross, and Medal of Honor. The game was praised for its realistic flight modeling—Zeros genuinely outmaneuver Wildcats—and high-quality enemy AI that twists and evades realistically. The DOS version ships on both 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks.