I loved the setting of Strike Commander! It had a far more complex game mechanic, especially for an 8 year-old: you had to budget to buy your missiles as a merc

I loved the setting of Strike Commander! It had a far more complex game mechanic, especially for an 8 year-old: you had to budget to buy your missiles as a mercenary, outfit your craft and then go out on complex missions with waypoints and bombings. Wing Commander was simpler: shoot to kill.