Beat on Normal. I did not realize you had to attack the bases to stop jets from spawning, so I bypassed the 1st and went for a base behind enemy lines. Long story short, I left my base vulnerable and found out what happens when the enemy reaches it (just a dogfight mission). I used the F 14 for dogfighting and the other aircraft for bombing. The loop maneuver still takes way too long to do so I never used it. Dogfighting is better than the 1st game and I found it prudent to use speed to go after a target before they all gang up on you. Bombing was not too bad because missiles can lock on to targets, but it is a little awkward without any kind of reticule. The final boss was very difficult and felt like his jet was able to perform better than mine. It annoyed me how he was flying circles around me and would always throttle to the max to out range my missiles, which I could only fire at his side. Somehow I managed to get behind him and it was very satisfying to finally see the bastard get hit and explode.

An overall improvement over Lock On but it does not feel like a full game. No story at all and very short. Feels more like a dlc or single level in a campaign, which holds the game back in mediocrity.