While this project is still in production, I was able to catch a small glimpse of Kalypso's new Airline Tycoon 2. From what I could tell, fans of the series will be happy with the results.

Just like the first, Airline Tycoon 2 has players running their own modern airline from the comforts of your own home base. There are many airports worldwide to explore, including Moscow and Caracas, but opponents are also trying to run the biggest airline empire, so you must do what you can to be the big kahuna of the sky.

You can choose between 4 different avatars who each have their own unique skills to offer, and in this really complex management simulation, every decision counts. While there's plenty of strategy to be had, the game brings the light-hearted characters and comedy from the first Airline Tycoon, making the road to becoming ruler of the sky all the more fun.

Planes are customizable to your heart's content, giving you the option to have the plane of your dreams, from luxury jets to spoil passengers, to inexpensive mass-transportation planes. As you fly your planes on one of the many flight routes you've set up, realistic travel conditions and passenger volumes add to the mix. You need to flex your management skills to grow profit while enhancing your airline's global reputation, so how you approach each flight is key. You must schedule those flight plans passengers will take, and coordinate arrivals and departures, while balancing income and expenses; there's plenty to consider when you run your own show.

Add to the experience the random events that bring variety to the game, and you've got yourself an entertaining ride into the management world. Your airline adversaries may try to sabotage you with devious actions, and you must do what you can to recover and reach the top despite their efforts. How you respond to these events, plus other random occurrences ranging from the Pope wanting a special flight to there being volcanic ash clouds above Europe, could help you be all the more successful with some extra profit to boot.

When you have time to breath, you can explore your home airport in full 3D to view the fruits of your labours. You may even meet some VIPs at the airport lounge as you stroll around your creation, which wouldn't hurt your business in the slightest.

Airline Tycoon 2 has much to offer, with the power to take charge at your fingertips. The wait won't be too long, as the final touches will be complete and ready for your PC as of October 2011.