There's a lot of visual detail in this sim, and the aircraft look fabulous. Ground and sea objects aren't quite as nifty, but they're also quite good. You have a slew of options as well for difficulty, from hard-core to almost arcade like, to satisfy a wide variety of tastes. Terrain in the game is, well, mostly the Pacific Ocean, but islands of various sorts are nicely modeled too. You can start random missions from a variety of bases in the region, and the campaign and canned missions feature carrier takeoffs and landings as well.
Ships look nice, as targets or places of refuge.
There are eleven other aircraft you can find in the game, appearing either as your targets or your allies. In the campaigns, as either an American or a Japanese aviator, you start off as an ensign and work your way up the ladder of fighter jocks. The results you achieve will determine your ultimate fate within the bounds of history. The example the manual gives is of a mission where you are tasked to sink enemy submarines. Failing to do so might let the subs sink friendly ships carrying supplies for your squadron, thus affecting your combat ability down the line.