Take to skies in PSP's combat sim WWII: Battle Over the Pacific

Considering its control configuration, it's always been something of a surprise anyone would attempt combat flight sims on the PSP. Even more revelatory, though, is the fact those attempts have generally been successful, as players of Namco's Ace Combat X and Vivendi's MACH can attest.

How Midas' WWII: Battle Over the Pacific will match up is open to question. But perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on the budget publisher, which has ported its PlayStation shooter over to PSP and will be selling the result for a mere £14.99.

Of course, such pricing looks to be reflected in the graphics and gameplay, with 'functional' and 'arcade' being likely descriptions. Yet for those after some simple thrills in a cockpits of seminal US fighters/bombers such as the P-38 Lightning and F4U-4 Corsair, there'll no doubt be some frisson of excitement involved.

The action itself is split between attacking Japanese naval battlegroups – focusing on those flat top carriers, of course – and ground attacks, where the targets will be trains, tanks and other strategic enemy formations.

Modes include training levels and you're able to unlock more aircraft the more successful you are in completing your missions. Neatly, it's also possible to change planes by landing on your home aircraft carrier and taking off refuelled and ready to go while flying something new.

WWII: Battle Over the Pacific is due for release on May 9th.