Knights of the Sky

Knights of the Sky is a flight simulation from MicroProse set in the First World War, in which the player, as a fighter pilot, flies historical biplanes over the Western Front and other battlefields of that global conflict. The game combines individual dogfights with a career campaign in which the pilot gradually builds up a reputation, earns decorations, and can move between different aircraft types, as aviation technology evolved rapidly during the war, from slow observation planes to faster and better-armed fighters.

The simulation tried to faithfully capture the specifics of aerial warfare of the period, including the limited armament of propeller-synchronized machine guns, slower speeds, and the need to rely on the maneuverability of wood-and-canvas aircraft rather than modern sensors or guided missiles from later 20th-century conflicts. The game also featured a campaign system that tracked the progress of the entire war, including changes in the weaponry of both sides, so the player could experience firsthand how quickly aviation technology developed during this period. The graphical rendering of the biplanes and landscape was appropriate for its year of release, and the atmosphere was well complemented by music and sounds matching older piston-engine types and period field airfields with primitive facilities.

Knights of the Sky is valued today above all as one of the few flight simulators focused on the First World War, a period that remains relatively rarely covered in the genre compared to the Second World War or modern conflicts fought with jet aircraft. As a result, even years later it retains a certain uniqueness and historical value for fans of early aviation and for those interested in the military history of the First World War in general, who will find it hard to find this theme treated with comparable care in other simulators.

Why play it: For those interested in the First World War, a theme rarely covered in flight simulators, it's a unique and still valuable glimpse into early aviation.