First full PC game that I got for a birthday in 1998, it's the game that turned me from somebody who liked games in the 16bit era and having played and enjoyed doom and quake etc but never being a "gamer" to somebody who was hooked. I don't care to think how much time I dumped into this game, flying missions over and over again. Genuinely expansive in its scope, simple to fly but with a wealth of controls, you can even sit back and take command of the skies from an AWACS. For its time a graphical showcase, pushing the then very new Voodoo 3D accelerators.
Maybe I sing its praises too highly, like many older games it probably hasn't held up well, although I have played and enjoyed it on retro machines more recently, however I'd love to see it bought onto more modern machines, easy to install and there at my fingertips.