Sky Odyssey is a very interesting flight sim, but it isn't what you think. When most people think flight sim, they think boring, boring, boring, with little variation. This isn't Microsoft Flight Simulator here; quite the contrary. You won't need to learn all of the instruments, knobs and buttons, so that you could actually land the next flight when your airline pilot drinks too much; SO is more of a test of flight skill rather than a chapter out of "Flight School". The game offers a lot of different levels and objectives, and has enough interesting elements to make it appeal to gamers who aren't typically into flight sims. In Adventure mode, you must go through detailed missions in order to progress and earn points, and even the most menial tasks are made more interesting by little touches here and there. With over 40 missions to accomplish, you won't be bored any time soon, and there's more than enough variation to keep the average gamer interested, and by that, I mean the average gamer, not the average flight sim fan. The developers of the game were smart enough to make a flight sim that would appeal to almost everyone, and this genius really shows in the game. The genius of this game is in the objectives of each mission. You may have to refuel in midair, or find lost areas, long gone unchartered by Western Civilization. It's stuff like that, that keeps you coming back for more. If you are good enough, you can even try the Sky writing mode, which humbled me pretty quick.

The graphics of Sky Odyssey aren't terrible, but they leave a lot to be desired. For one, the animation contains a lot of slowdown, an amount uncharacteristic with the graphical powers of the PS2. There are also problems with the look of the planes, which can suddenly go out of whack and look very coarse, almost out of nowhere. The textures of many of the objects and planes are also very poor, so bad that I'd go so far as to say that the developers of Sky Odyssey rushed it out to make it available by the time of the PS2 launch, or at least close to it. But despite these problems, there are some elements of the visuals that are great as well, such as great environments, complete with awesome weather effects. The good elements and deficiencies approximately balance each other out, leaving the game's graphics mediocre. If more time was spent on some elements, the overall presentation would have been much improved.

But as opposed to the mediocre graphics, the music in the game is absolutely incredible! It really adds a lot of excitement to the game, and just really adds to the feeling of playing it. The soundtrack is so well put together that it deserves to be sold separately on a CD. Every different mood in the game is greatly enhanced by the music, which is more than what can be said for most games out there. The sound effects are also very impressive, sounding very crisp and powerful.

Overall, If you can put up with the mediocre graphics, you'll probably have a great time with this game. Of course, though this game broadens the genre of flight sims, it still probably won't be for everyone, so you should rent it first before you buy. Enjoy!