The latest version of Microsoft Flight Simulator is not only the most visually impressive game of the series, it is the one that injects the most fun into virtual flying. Having flown a number of general aviation aircraft in real life, I can attest that this product delivers very realistic flying experiences. Having a good joystick is a must for this game and if you have some extra cash, some rudder pedals and a throttle controller can spice up things up really nice.

FSX comes in two packages: the deluxe version and the standard version. There are close to 50 missions in the deluxe version of FSX and 30 in the standard version. The deluxe version comes with 24 airplanes, versus 18 in the standard version; more high-detail airports, 45 versus 40; more high-detail cities, 38 versus 28; the advanced Garmin G1000 glass cockpit; and the new tower controller module. This last and historically completely new feature lets you take the role of the air traffic controller in multiplayer mode.

One of the key features of FSX, as with other, older versions of MFS, is the free flight. You can literally choose any one of the 24,000 airports from all over the world and fly from its runway(s) in a variety of weather conditions. There is even an option that will download the existing weather conditions and apply them in real time to your simulated flight. Embellishing the free flight model is the inclusion of the “living world” which means that there is both air, ground, and sea traffic occurring at all times. This feature has been done brilliantly in replicating the real world experience albeit at the major cost of using high powered computer hardware on the users’ end. This brings us all to a bit of a disappointment as only the folks with the latest and greatest hardware will be able to enjoy the upper class visuals that the FSX offers. The rest of the users that are stuck with mid level and museum piece hardware will have to settle for the experience that is sub par even to FS 2004. Microsoft has gone a bit too far on the flight experience capacity scale. This may be ok two years from now but most people who own computers today with the price tag of less than $2,000 will be disappointed. There are a number of tweaks available on-line that can enhance the game for mid to lower end machines and these have naturally been developed by an enormous FS world wide user community. Add to this volatile mixture the fact that FSX will occupy 15 GB of hard drive space on your computer and you have another reason to do some research before turning on your virtual magnetos and trying to get your rig to fly FSX.

The aircraft in FSX look significantly better than the FS 2004 models. A lot more detail has been applied in terms of adding more parts, sharper textures and a number of special effects bringing the overall visuals incredibly close to complete photo realism. The animations of aircraft models are very accurate and to prove my point one should observe the lowering of landing gear on any passenger jet. The airplane cockpits have been redone and are fully operational via direct mouse pointer clicking or via a long keyboard shortcut list. A beautiful addition to the cockpit is the sophisticated Garmin G1000 digital instrumentation (LCD panels in real world cockpit) that replaces most of the conventional analog controls found in standard cockpits.

The multiplayer aspect of the game has been redesigned to include some completely new features. Among many major additions are voice over IP communication as well as a capability to fly with someone as a copilot and vice versa. This is a great feature for training purposes: an experienced pilot can virtually sit next to you in the cockpit and talk you through many different take off, flying and landing situations. The other previously mentioned role is the one of the air traffic controller. You essentially sit in the air control tower with both visual and radar views. You are in charge of controlling the landing and take off order for the airport of your choice. This very original addition to FSX is a lot of fun and can be at times a true reflection of how stressful and busy the job must be for all of the real world air traffic controllers, especially the ones present at world’s major airports.

In conclusion, FSX raises the bar for the already complex flight simulator series and it does so while keeping the experience fun. FSX also does a great job at demystifying the experience of flying an airplane and, as such, can be credited to introducing many people across the world to the joys of real world flying. On the other hand, flying can be expensive in both virtual and real world setting. Be prepared to save up money for a video card and (or) computer upgrade in the same manner as you would need to save up money for a real world flight lesson. At the end of the day, you will be happy knowing that your sacrifice in time and money will take you places you can only dream of, even if it’s only on your computer monitor.