I remember playing the original Red Baron years ago. It's an excellent WW1 shooter in its own right, but what makes it really shine is the "pilot simulation" angle it has. You rise through the ranks, getting access to better planes, earn medals for particuarly heroic deeds, and get a shot at shooting down some famous WW1 aces such as the titular Red Baron. You can even be shot down and captured by the Germans/Allies (depending on whose side you're on) and put in a POW camp, eventually escaping. And once you die, that's it - there are no continues. Although the graphics are really showing their age, it's worth bearing with it because underneath is an excellent and deep game.
This is the game that defines the tactical turn-based RPG genre, along with X-Com. It's aged extremely well, due in part to the excellent graphics. (in particular, the guns. Oh, so many guns...) There just aren't many games that get so many things right, and JA2 is one of them.
