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If you're hunting for the ultimate flight sim or learning tool then look no further.

I have played a lot of sims since I began playing PC games but I have never been impressed by any of them. The vehicles might control like they do in real life and the physics were close but immersion and the feel of raw power never made it into the final game. Then I played X-Plane 8.

The roar of the engine, the feel of the g-force, and the way the game drops you right in the seat of various planes is amazing. But X-Plane 8 isn't your typical flight game. There aren't missions to select, other planes that you have to gun down, or even a storyline to follow, it's all about the flying and how it should feel.

The main part of any sim is, of course, how well it simulates the feel of the vehicles or anything else that it is trying to simulate. In this department X-Plane comes through with flying colors. Every plane has its own distinct feeling and handles differently when you're operating it.

Everything from the Cessna to the NASA space shuttle handles exactly how you would expect it to. This also gives the player a new challenge every time they open X-Plane as once you get used to the basics of one aircraft you can apply that to other planes. Also with the 29 aircraft available from the start and the hundreds downloadable from the massive cult following the series has built, every time you fly can be different and fresh.

X-Plane also allows for extreme customization. Everything from the aircraft textures, to the way they handle, and the way the terrain looks can be customized as the program comes with a bevy of programs for enthusiasts. Programs such as Airfoil Maker, Plane Maker, and World Maker allow for the complete reworking of anything in the game.

If you would like to add another touch of reality X-Plane also comes with a unique feature called the weather briefer. The weather briefer allows the player to download actual weather conditions and then apply that to the in-game environment. While the programs and features can be mind boggling and intimidating at first, after a few quality hours you should be able to understand most of what's happening.

Controls are somewhat of a mixed bag. While controlling the plane with a keyboard and mouse is possible you won't get the same feel as you would if you use a joystick. Also the differences between the keyboard and mouse are dramatically different.

The mouse seems to be just a bit too touchy and even the slightest bump can send you into a dive while the keyboard is sluggish and just complete torture to use. The joystick strikes a nice balance between the two and should be used with this game because of the added realism that it gives you.

Sound is easily some of the best I have ever heard in any game. Like the rest of X-Plane the sound is as realistic as possible with radio chatter coming from the other pilots and towers as well as the hum of the plane's engine, the whir of the blades, and the rush of the air.

Small touches like the sonic boom, screech of tires and popping of exploding tires are also added into the game. In addition to the fantastic sound effects the developer has gone the extra mile and added distinct sounds for each plane which helps to immerse you even more.

Easily the weakest point in X-Plane is the graphics. While they're not horrible they do look very dated even at the highest settings. Models of all the aircraft are nicely done but other objects such as buildings look very cardboard box-like.

This isn't a huge problem though since most of what you will see will be from high above the land. Once you're in the air everything looks good but in the next version a slightly higher quality graphics engine would be nice.

When you take everything into account nothing that's available for consumers can even touch X-Plane 8. With its terrific attention to detail and outstanding sound effects you would be hard pressed to find something that rivals this program.


Review by Christopher Burkett.