Jane's Longbow 2

Jane's Longbow 2 built on its successful predecessor and expanded the helicopter simulation with a new battlefield, improved graphics, and a more faithful behavior model of the AH-64D Apache Longbow. The game again drew on collaboration with real military consultants and aimed to capture as accurately as possible the work of an attack helicopter's crew — from flight planning through targeting with radar and various missile and gun types to communication with escort units. The campaign was expanded with new missions and scenarios responding to the geopolitical situation of the mid-1990s, and players could choose between realistic and simplified controls depending on their own experience. The game also included a detailed training program that walked players step by step through the radar, weapons, and survival systems of the helicopter.

The graphics engine was improved over the first title, resulting in more detailed terrain and vehicle models, though the game remained demanding on period computers' performance. The soundtrack and crew voice messages lent missions a cinematic atmosphere, though the menus and control schemes remained fairly complicated and required thorough study of the manual. Within the military simulation genre, it was one of the titles that helped sustain interest in helicopter combat simulators even as players' attention increasingly shifted toward jet fighter simulations. The game thus stood at the crossroads between a demanding professional simulation and accessible entertainment for a wider audience.

Jane's Longbow 2 is remembered today mainly as evidence of how rapidly the technical level of PC simulators evolved in the 1990s — a real leap in graphics and in the depth of modeled systems was visible between the series' individual installments. For today's players, entering the game without period knowledge of the controls is demanding, but as a historical artifact of the genre it holds its value, not least thanks to its tie to the respected Jane's brand.

Why play it: For players interested in the evolution of 1990s PC simulators and the Jane's brand, it still makes sense today, though you won't get far without patience for period controls.