Comanche Hokum is the successor of Apache Havoc that shares a lot in common with the earlier game but in most respects is different.  The flight model is the same.  You turn at the same rate at a given speed.    Going into and pulling out of a dive is just as swift as Apache Havoc.  Incoming missiles behave in the same way.  Missiles are avoided using the same techniques as Apache Havoc.  Chaff and Flares do the same thing as in Apache Havoc and have the exact same effectiveness.  The controls and cockpit operate in the same way.  Stingers behave in the same way.  You shoot down enemy jets the same way as in Apache Havoc.

So how is Comanche Hokum different?  Well, first of all the flaws that made Apache Havoc largely unplayable have all been fixed.  When you finish a mission, the flight group will not be in a holding route for a long time as was the case in Apache Havoc.  This was a large problem in game playability since a flight group could be in a holding route for tens of minutes and be unavailable.  The helicopters would be circling the base so long that the base was no longer secure.  The flight group would be unavailable and all you could do is watch them get shot down.  In Comanche Hokum, helicopters are kept in a holding route only as long as it takes for a landing spot to free up.  Flight groups are also not in the still landing status forever.  They just land right away like they should.

The AI of the wingman is also obedient. They do not chase after enemy helicopters. They stay in formation. Wingman commands are also more sophisticated. There are also a lot of formations you can order them into. You can also give them a lot of tactical commands as to how you want them to engage the targets. This is a huge improvement that is the difference between night and day of creating better, more interesting engagements.

The dynamic campaign interface is also improved. There is a log of an event and a icon on a map indicating the location of it. This is a nice, polished feature.

But the battlefield itself leaves a lot to be desired. The vehicles are confined to being on roads. The battlefield is also sparse. A group of vehicles is very far away. The travel time is often very uneventful. And when you get to a group of vehicles, it is not very challenging. There are very few vehicles in the group. The surface-to-air missiles have a slow reaction time and are easy to take out. There's only about eight vehicles in the group and has no backups or other vehicles to defend them.

Comanche Hokum is a very polished dynamic campaign simulation. But the lack of difficulty in engaging vehicles is a major letdown. This is what playing a simulation is all about. This is why I will score it less than gunship and Jane's Longbow 2 in gameplay. Technically, it is a very excellent game. But what is lacking makes it not translate into an excellent gameplay experience.

But I have yet to try the Sentinel campaigns, which might change my mind. These campaigns increase the density of the vehicle groups. This would maybe solve the small vehicle group issue and sparse battlefield vehicle density issue. Maybe the small vehicles groups being close together would provide mutual support to each other.

Update- community add on greatly enhances the game. Gameplay features such as priority fire zones of Longbow 2 and copilot spotting of targets is now present. Furthermore, you get the gameplay voice of Jane's Longbow 2.

 

Overall Gameplay: 8.6