In the days when Microsoft was a small, unheard-of company, and Windows not even a twinkle in Bill Gate's eyes, a game called Flight Simulator was created. And so, the series began... It used to be said (apparently!) that a true test of how "compatible" a PC was, was to check whether it could run Flight Simulator. You'll no doubt be pleased to know that the 100 and 200 LX palmtops can run every one up to version 4.0. Unfortunately, while the game runs, it probably isn't worth the bother. Forgive me if I'm missing something, but I consider one of the important factors in a simulator to be that of realism - a simulator's job is to immerse its audience in a different world, in this particular case, that of an airplane pilot's. Sadly, with Flight Simulator 4.0, it just doesn't work. The graphics look pretty awful on a desktop PC with a colour monitor - on the monochrome screen of the palmtop, they're near-impossible to make out. This wouldn't be too useful at the best of times; when you're supposed to be flying an airplane, however, it renders the experience downright frustrating. What's more, the speed of the game does nothing to help matters. Even on a double-speed machine, things didn't move particularly smoothly. Frustrating, yes. Fun, no. As you probably know, the idea in the game is simply to fly. No shooting, no bombing - the point of the game is to take to the skies and, from there, the choice is yours. The freedom of the airspace is yours, to explore as you see fit. While this fits in nicely with what happens in real life, perhaps things are taken a little too far, especially if you're going to be playing on a palmtop! A real-life flight is not a short event, usually lasting over an hour. While you can always take off, circle round, and then attempt to land at the same airport in Flight Simulator, this isn't particularly satisfying and once you've done it for the tenth time, the enjoyment quickly wears off. You can, of course, pretend to do a real flight and speed the game time up to skip the boring bits, but that spoils the illusion and isn't much fun either. To sum up, you'll need a strong constitution to enjoy Flight Simulator 4.0. If you're an avid flight fan, a practicing or wannabe pilot, perhaps then you'll appreciate this game more. No doubt the realism is there (with the obvious exception of the multi-media aspects) and, if you come across an earlier version, the game will run better and the resulting experience may well be vastly improved. For me, however, Flight Simulator 4.0 was a disappointing experience. |
