Review by: Josh Horowitz
Published: August 29, 2001

People rarely think about Iceland, a land curiously named by the Vikings to confuse explorers about its lush habitat versus its icy neighbor, Greenland. Yet in an alternate future, this small European nation becomes the flashpoint of a vast global conflict when the Russians decide to play hardball with the West. Preparing for such an attack, a union of European nations unveils its newest and most advanced fighter craft — an airplane capable of speeds past Mach 2, with up to eight tons of weapons and fuel, and full radar capabilities. This aircraft is the Eurofighter Typhoon, and while the real-life version is still several years from full deployment, flight enthusiasts can have a chance to fly a simulation of it today to help turn the tide of a virtual war.

The background story behind Eurofighter Typhoon is a gripping “what-if” scenario influenced by today’s headlines. In 2015, after an extremist Estonian group performs a bloody terrorist attack in St. Petersburg, the Russian response is extreme. First massing troops near Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in what they call “an exercise,” the Russians march into the countries supposedly housing the terrorists and then greedily invade Poland for good measure. NATO declares the invasions an act of war, but is slow to respond. On a roll, the Russians conquer Norway and move further across the Atlantic to Iceland, the so-called land-bridge to the West. The Icelanders cry out to NATO for help, but “commitments in Europe” hamper the alliance’s direct involvement. With no immediate alternative and American aid still far off, the Icelandic Air Force (ICEFOR) and its squadron of Eurofighter Typhoons is called upon to halt the Russian incursion.

Players act as the commander of an elite Eurofighter squadron consisting of six multi-national pilots stationed in parts of Iceland, just as the Russians attempt to invade. During the dynamic campaign, the six pilots fly various mission sorties including air intercept, air kill, escort, wild weasel, strike, and transport. Players can watch the war unfold in real time and perform command duties such as transferring pilots from their respective bases on Iceland, but the appeal of the title comes by controlling the pilots directly. Remember, this is Eurofighter Typhoon, not Tycoon, so you should expect action over micromanagement. In an alternative approach to virtual combat, players can instantaneously leap from pilot to pilot, taking on their plane’s controls and performing a mission personally. Depending on your pilot’s mission performance, the outcome of the war itself may be affected, reported dramatically by the British news agency, EBC.