As mentioned, Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 allows virtual pilots to travel the world; this is possible with the help of the program’s advanced navigation system. All the standard waypoints and radio controls found in the real world are in the game. So, if players want to really fly with the big boys in the sky, then they will have to use all the instruments available. Depending on the sophistication of the flight you are flying, you may use the COM radio or NAV points to guide you. As you enter an airport’s airspace, the air traffic controllers will talk to you and guide you. As with all the other features and options in Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98, you can get guidance through online help screens along with the different lessons that are available to help teach you different approaches and formations using you navigational controls.

The force is literally with Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 this time around. With Microsoft’s release of their force feedback joystick, Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 gives gamers the chance to feel the effects of what is happening on screen, whether it’s the touch of the wheels on the runway or the smack of your plane into a building. The addition of the force feedback gives gamers a direct correlation to their environments. So, instead of just seeing your plane veer of in the wind, you will actually feel the pull. By combining this new technology with a more advanced graphics engine, Microsoft has been able to bring the realism of Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 up another level.

Unlike the versions of the past, Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 brings multiplayer to another level by allowing players to fly over the Internet. This not only enables flying around the world with other people, but it brings different aspects to flight sims such as air shows, where groups of planes can fly in real-time formations. Players have the ability either to host or join an existing group of flyers. One unique aspect of being able to fly over the net is that you don’t actually have to fly when joining a game, but can merely be a spectator to watch others fly. To help gamers get connected, Microsoft has added Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 to their Internet Gaming Zone. From the gaming zone, players can log online, chat and join different active games. As a multiplayer game, Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 offers just about every option for players to get connected to other players for a more in-depth flying experience. You still can connect over a modem in a head-to-head connection or over a LAN, but for most players, the Internet multiplayer option is the best bet to get connected.

There are not too many games today that offer the history that Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 does. Over the years, the game has evolved with the technology and has survived the overwhelming growth of its parents, to be one of the most solid games ever. The depth and realism that this version offers is unparalleled in the flight sim world. Anybody who loves to fly or is interested in learning how to fly will find a part of this game to love. Microsoft Flight Simulator ’98 sets the mark for other civilian flight simulators to follow.