April 15, 2002 - Microsoft's prominent Flight Simulator franchise has been popular for years, especially among simulation fanatics. With its extremely realistic gameplay and beautiful graphics, Microsoft has always succeeded with these titles. Flight Simulator 2002 continues this trend with its new features and vast improvements.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 comes in two different versions, Professional and standard edition. The primary difference between the two is a wider variety of aircraft have been included in the Professional version, as well as the GMAX editing software for creating additions to the game. Hardcore flight simulation enthusiasts will no doubt want to purchase the Professional edition, but for those who don't need the editing software or are just occasional pilots, the standard edition should be more than enough.

Installation of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 was smooth, but be warned, you will require a massive 1.9 gigabytes of space for installation. Smaller installations can be done, but performance is greatly compromised as the textures are loaded off the CD-ROM instead of the hard disk. When comparing the two installations, the full installation provided more detailed environments as textures could be loaded quicker off the hard disk than the CD-ROM, so it comes highly recommended that the game be completely installed to the hard disk.

If you are looking for a combat flight simulation, than you should probably stop reading this review right now. If you are seeking an action flight based simulation, you're best bet is to wait it out for Microsoft's Combat Flight Simulator 3, as it will use the same engine with the added bonus of weaponry and explosions. For anyone interested in the flight simulation genre with the unparalleled realism of flight, than look no further than Microsoft Flight Simulation 2002.

For anyone new to the flight simulation genre of games, players can take a lesson in piloting an aircraft from the in-game instruction course. An experienced pilot will show you the basics of flying an aircraft, everything from takeoff to landing. The Flight Simulator series has always prided itself on being the most realistic flight simulations available for general use, and Microsoft Flight Simulator doesn't deviate from this initiative. Everything that a real pilot would be expected to complete is included in this title, whether it is raising or lowering the flaps, to adjusting the fuel mixture.

Menu navigation has been much improved from previous versions; a more streamlined and simple system has been implemented. Whether you want to take a preset trip across the country or setup your own departure and destination locations, it can be easily arranged with a few clicks of the mouse. In game navigation is easily accomplished as well, and a variety of hotkeys can be assigned and preset to make navigation quicker.

To get the most out of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002, players will need a power-packed hardware setup, new graphic cards and high-end processors are a must. Although the title is greatly optimized from previous versions, to take advantage of the beautiful graphics, players will need a fairly new system to run the game to it's full potential.

Microsoft Flight Simulator offers much to keep both experienced and occasional pilots playing for hours, with over 21,000 airports for departure and arrival. Accompanied by the ability to schedule a flight is the preset scenarios, ranging from easy to hard in difficulty settings. As well as the new scenarios, all of the previous scenarios included with Flight Simulator 2000 have also been included, so anyone familiar with the title should quickly recognize them. With the virtually endless combination of flights to be created, and a vast amount of aircraft, players will be enjoying Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 for a long time.