MS Flight Simulator 2004

IN AN INDUSTRY where obsolescence is often measured in weeks, it's remarkable that Microsoft's Flight Simulator series is literally as old as the personal computer itself. After all, it was first developed and marketed by SubLOGIC in 1980 for the ancient and venerated Apple II.

When the IBM-PC emerged two years later, an obscure nobody named Bill Gates knew a good thing when he saw it and audaciously entered into a bidding war for the SubLOGIC title against computer behemoth IBM. His equally unknown little startup company Microsoft won out, largely because SubLOGIC's president was impressed with Microsoft's "nice small-company atmosphere."

Twenty-three years later, this purchase made by everybody's favorite bazillionaire is still considered the benchmark flight simulation. Each successive version of Flight Simulator showcased new improvements in the graphics' quality and realism and added new features such as flight training and air traffic control. With this newest version, Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight, Microsoft continues the trend and again demonstrates exactly why it is the 800-pound gorilla of desktop flight. FS2004, the ninth version, stays true to its lineage by building on the ancient (in computer terms) franchise. Slick new features ease the suspension of disbelief required by any good simulation.

This new release includes quite a few improvements, and one of the best is the dynamic weather system. Fluffy, three-dimensional clouds now condense and dissipate. Thunderstorms form and increase in intensity and size at a user-selected rate, proving quite challenging for the virtual aviator who attempts to navigate around such atmospheric monstrosities. Real-world weather can be downloaded from the Internet and automatically updated from the Jeppesen database every 15 minutes! Weather "themes" can also be applied, such as "Cold Front" or "Winter Wonderland." The effects are incredible and sometimes fearsome. I "flew" a DC-3 from Santa Monica to Bakersfield with the "developing storms" option enabled-and barely survived the 100-mile flight! Between the wicked turbulence, heavy rain and sometimes zero visibility, I came darned close to spreading various and sundry virtual pieces of aluminum across the mountains that border the Tejon Pass.

Flight models have also been substantially tweaked. The flight characteristics of some of the old standbys have been reworked and improved to such an extent that they are hardly recognizable-in a good way. Also, several new detailed airports have been added. The resolution, or mesh, of the general terrain has also been enhanced greatly. This adds to both the beauty of the simulated world and to the desktop aviator's ability to spot landmarks for VFR flight.

The extended title, A Century of Flight, also showcases an intriguing new twist. Far from taking the easy route and merely continuing to steadily improve the series, in-house developer Microsoft Game Studios added an education into aviation's past. Marking the centennial of the Wrights' tentative hop across the sands of Kill Devil Hills, Microsoft took the old tried-and-true civilian flight-sim formula and infused the ultimate interactive aviation history lesson. A series of articles that detail the various famous flights instruct you as to the four Ws: what, when, where, why. A hyperlink within the article then invites you to experience the historic flight first-hand-as the pilot! Experiencing a simulation of what the early pioneers of flight dealt with is quite eye opening. Skeptical? Try your hand at controlling the Wright 1903 Flyer-it ain't easy!

This new historical focus adds nine new interesting aircraft to the total of otherwise fairly conservative general aviation and commercial aircraft from which to choose. This represents a great value. When it released the last two versions of the software, Microsoft offered Flight Simulator in Standard and a pricier Professional Edition. This year, there is only one software version. With the exception of the Cessna Skylane RG (now glaringly absent), every aircraft and special feature offered in FS2000 and FS2002's Professional Edition returned at a Standard Edition price. Those who have horribly crippled attention spans may find this rich spread of aviation history too confining, and a seemingly endless supply of new aircraft is being developed for them. Already, very talented Flight Simulator fans have developed dozens of add-on aircraft specifically for FS2004, free for the downloading.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of the original Microsoft/SubLOGIC FS 1.0, and as such, Microsoft's Flight Simulator franchise is now of legal age to toast its longevity. The timely inclusion of the historical aviation angle adds incredible entertainment value to an already incredible package. Hyperbole seems so cheap, but in some cases, it is the only way to speak the truth-so here goes: run, don't walk, to your closest software retailer and pick up the best civilian flight simulator for the PC ever made. Really.