At a not-so-youthful 25 years old, Flight Simulator is one of Microsoft's longest-running software programs and even older than Windows.

Flight Simulator X (pronounced 'ten' not 'X') is the latest standalone update that adds new missions and better scenery. The game is available in two versions; standard and deluxe.

The concept of flying specific tasks is not new to Flight Simulator, but now missions react when goals are achieved or failed. The missions can be anything from flying through an airborne hoop to landing on a particular runway.

Other factors, such as aircraft failures, are now scripted in to happen at particular points. As well as keeping you on your toes, this makes the missions good training tools.

There are about 35 missions included with the standard version and 50 with the deluxe. Mission success is recorded in a log book that also marks notable achievements, such as 15 successful landings.

There are actually fewer aircraft in Flight Simulator X than in the previous version, but there is now an Airbus 321 in addition to the collection of Boeing airliners, to give a more European feel.

There is an extra helicopter that is simpler to fly than the Bell Jetranger and is much better for beginners. Other new aircraft include the DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver float plane, which can land on water or land.

The scenery has improved a lot since previous versions, with greater elevation detail; cliffs and hills are much more realistic. Road traffic becomes heavier depending on the time of day and birds share the skies.

Microsoft told us that most aircraft from the previous two versions of Flight Simulator should work. We tested several add-ons, including the FS Falcon 2004 and the Memphis Belle B17 bomber aircraft.

But neither worked very well and, on closer inspection, it looks as if Microsoft has changed the location of the files used for extra aircraft. Hopefully patches will be available soon.

Multiplayer gaming has not been forgotten and a GameSpy login gives access to all the online games. Players can fly or play as the Air Traffic Controller if they have the Deluxe version, which means looking out from the tower and tracking the radar display.

Voice over internet has also been built into Flight Simulator X, so communication is possible without taking your hands off the joystick. Thankfully, performance isn't affected when playing online.

But it could be affected by how powerful your computer is. We tested Flight Simulator X on an Athlon 2800+ with an ATI Radeon X850 and it crashed several times. Moving to a dual-core Pentium based computer running at 3GHz gave much better results.

Overall, Microsoft Flight Simulator X is an excellent flight sim for casual gamers and serious flight students alike. A downloadable demo can be found here.

Also consider

Blazing Angels - Squadrons of WWII

Overall: Like WWII shooters, WWII flight combat sims are getting a bit samey and, apart from a few interesting online options, Blazing Angels is unlikely to set any hearts aflame

Rating: 3

Price: £20

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