Mouse can be used for panning when the keyboard is used for control. However, when mouse panning is on, PS would sometimes pan even if you did not touch the mouse which sometimes was annoying. Propeller actually looks like it's rotating and pilots and turret gunners can be seen in the cockpit. When you fire guns, you can see them smoke. Hitting enemy planes produces very cool chunks of metal falling from the target.
Some bogies blow up in the air, some fall towards the earth engulfed in flames and smoke.
Sound PS sounds like a typical Origin game. In the game, the speech is substituted by text. During the combat, you can enjoy the background music as well as nifty sound effects. Other than that, the game sounds cool. I highly recommend the game to all Wing Commander fans, Strike Commander fans, Wings of Glory fans, and all hard-core virtual pilots who want a good flight sim with a cool plot.