Introduction

There are some games that represent a myth. Microsoft Fligth Simulator 2002 is definitely one of those games. For more than a decade, Microsoft has developped, enhanced and tweaked one of the best fligth simulation game available on the market. Personally I have discovered the game with the version 3.0 that was released a long, long time ago at the time MS-DOS ruled the computer world. The progresses between the various versions of the game are quite obvious. Indeed with each new version, released almost yearly, Microsoft does its best to crank up the reality level to make sure the game is as good as its logo ‘As Real As It Gets’ suggests.

The release of Flight Simulator 2002 has been postponed for a few weeks by Microsoft and almost passed under silence after the tragic events that affected the civil aviation in 2001. Microsoft has used this supplementary development time to remove, for obvious reasons, the twin towers from the 3D representation of the New York City. With Flight Simulator 2002, everyone can learn the basis of flying, thus saving the enormous costs of real flying lessons. Like Microsoft did for Flight Simulator 2000, this new release is available in two flavors: the standard edition and the professional one. The professional version, we review today, is bundled with tools to create aircrafts and personal sceneries, includes four supplementary planes than the standard edition along with the instructor’s station that gives tips to pilots through the Internet.

Setup