Have you ever wanted to take charge of a commercial airliner and fly around the world? Well X-Plane is about as close to the real thing as you’re ever going to get on your PC. Claiming to be the world’s “most comprehensive, powerful simulator” it’s so accurate that the US and Canadian aviation authorities have given it official approval to train pilots towards their commercial licence.

Of course, those guys are not sat behind a PC in their bedroom - their training is done in a $150,000 simulator - but what they see is exactly what you get on your PC. What’s more, you’re not limited to Earth – in X-Plane you can even fly around Mars!

Firstly, be warned. X-Plane is one MASSIVE program. Don’t be fooled by the 1.8MB file size in the game description – that’s just the installer. Once you’ve installed that, a very swanky download dialogue opens to download the other 1.3 gigabytes of the game. All those scenarios, vectored graphics and flight controls take up a lot of hardrive space. Depending on your bandwidth, you will be looking at hours, if not days to download the whole thing.

In this X-Plane demo, you are limited to just one aircraft and five minutes of flight but in the full version, you can take control of props, jets, single- and multi-engine airplanes, as well as gliders, helicopters and VTOLs such as the V-22 Osprey and AV8-B Harrier. It also offers subsonic and supersonic flight dynamics, sporting aircraft from the Bell 206 Jet-Ranger helicopter and Cessna 172 light plane to the supersonic Concorde and Mach-3 XB-70 Valkyrie. In all, about 40 aircraft spanning the aviation industry (and history) with several hundred more which can be freely downloaded from the internet. There’s even a plane builder option which allows you to build your own model.

You can pretty much fly to any location around the world and choose from over 18,000 airports to test your landing and take-off skills. You can even test your mettle on aircraft carriers, helipads, frigates that pitch and roll in the waves, and oil rigs. X-Plane naturally features the whole range of weather conditions you might face and the plane reacts realistically to them. The graphics are vector based so they’re not exactly brilliant but they’re what you’d expect from a simulator .

The biggest problem you’ll have is working out how on earth to get started. X-Plane's controls are incredibly complex to mirror a real commercial airliner. I spent the best part of 10 minutes just sat on the runway trying to work out how to start the engines whilst Air Traffic Control went crazy at me. You are prompted with a few guidelines at how to get rolling (such as “hit spacebar to release the breaks”) although you’re not told how to start the engines.

There are so many switches and dials in the cockpit that there’s no knowing what to hit without studying the huge flight manual in detail. In the end, the best I managed was to race around the airport before crashing into and destroying a control tower, killing all on board. For those that do have more patience, they need merely move the mouse cursor to the top of the screen where a drop down menu will present access to preferences, instructions, control configuration and many other options.

For those that just want to fly free as a bird and admire the scenery, X-Plane is not for you. For those that want the challenge of mastering a real airliner or are training for a professional license, it’s the best program out there and will have you absorbed for hours.

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Take off is easy

Microsoft Flight is easy to play right from the start. The tutorials are excellent and they don't assume you have any experience. Simulator purists might dislike this new casual feel, but realism can be increased whenever you want.

To start with all the activity centers around Hawaii, but more locations and planes will be added over time - some of this will be premium content and some not, but there have been no detailed announcements yet. Every mission you complete earns you experience points, which open up more things to do. If you sign into Microsoft LIVE, you'll get a Microsoft Flight Pilot Profile which displays your achievements

Like Nintendo's PilotWings, Microsoft Flight is a gentle game. For example, your second mission will see you landing your instructor next to a yacht so she can play ukulele at a wedding! This chilled lifestyle feel reminds me of an even more laid back Test Drive Unlimited (which shares Hawaii as its location). Enjoying the scenery and simple flight is essential, and made easier by the attractive island and beautiful skies.

Challenging whatever your level

Increasing the realism and changing the flight conditions in Microsoft Flight can make it significantly more exciting. Darkness, fog, rain or wind make accurate flight more difficult and you can get extra points in many missions by doing acrobatic maneuvers.

In Microsoft Flight's free flight mode, you are limited only by your fuel tanks, but they do take a long time to empty! The two planes included in the beta test are small and easy to fly - we'll have to see what Microsoft studios have in mind as far as jumbo jet flying goes!

Microsoft Flight is the most accessible version flight simulator yet. It looks great and is easy to pick up and play. Whether it can recapture fans of the original series, which was anything but casual, is yet to be seen. Check out the demo for 2007's Flight Simulator X (FSX) for a comparison.

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FlightGear might not be as realistic or polished as Microsoft Flight Simulator X or X-Plane but it's still an impressive package, especially considering its free. Like most flight sims however, the installation and startup takes a good 5-10 minutes to install the various backdrops and 3D graphics. Once started, you're presented with around 20 planes to select ranging from Messerschmitts to Cessnas. Next up, you're asked to select somewhere to fly around from choice of 30 locations. You can download a whole lot more – enough to fill 3 DVDs, apparently – from the developer's website.

FlightGear can be controlled in two ways - through the command line and through a graphical wizard called 'fgrun'. Both do exactly the same thing but the wizard is recommended for ease of use. Once you're done with this, you hit the runway and off you go! There are no missions to complete or battles to win – it's simply a case of taking off, landing and enjoying the scenery.

The 3D graphics are surprisingly detailed and for those with programming know-how, the fact that it's open source means that the sky is literally the limit in terms of what you can create and do with FlightGear. Fancy flying a rocket from Washington to London or putting an ejector seat in a 747? Just make them yourself!

The major drawback of this FlightGear, however, is that it is very heavy on resources. Users of older machines may find loading times painful and the graphics sluggish, so it's recommended that you shut down all other applications or expand your RAM before trying FlightGear. Also, while some people have reported in runs fine in Windows 7, others have had major problems running it and as yet there is no official support for it.

What makes FlightGear standout though is the fact that even taking control of the most complicated aircraft is possible due to the excellent tutorials on the developer site which take you step by step through take-off. Whilst most flight simulators are aimed at experienced flyers, FlightGear is designed for those who've never sat in a cockpit before but want to learn the essentials. The general interface is very clean and user friendly – there aren't too many unnecessary dials to confuse you. The game options in FlightGear are clearly presented at all times, as are the customization options. From here, you can specify everything from the time of day to the type of navigation panel and even the weather.

Another great feature of FlightGear is the ability to team-up with a friend and take to the skies over a network. Many users report that the lag time is incredibly short when playing over a network on FlightGear compared to professional sims such as Flight Simulator X. However, don't expect to log on being able to have dogfights and shoot passenger planes out of the sky – there's no arcade or action mode available as yet, although you could always program one yourself.

FlightGear is a fantastic flight sim that will appeal more to novices who just want to get flying than experts looking for hardcore realism and is a great way to experience a semi-realistic flying experience without being a pro.

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Getting started in your garbage career

Garbage Truck Simulator is not a game, it is a simulator. It's important to bear this in mind, as it makes no attempt to make Garbage collection fun! However, there are some ways in which Garbage Truck Simulator could have been more accessible. There is no tutorial, meaning you will learn the ropes by responding to error messages, like 'you cannot begin this mission without a garbage truck'. But you can't buy a truck as you have no money, so you have to get a loan from the bank. This could have been a process Garbage Truck Simulator took players through with instructions.

Waste management

Similarly, Garbage Truck Simulator has no in game control instructions, meaning you have to memorize them before you begin your first mission. Once you are in, you control your three garbage collectors. One drives, and two look after collection. The Enter key rotates between them, while Space is a contextual action button. You can start or stop your truck with Space, as well as pick up trash and get on the truck.

Less fun than real garbage collection

Garbage Truck Simulator's graphics are reasonable, and the truck moves quite realistically. Moving on foot is pretty bad, and the camera angles are poor. The action mixes management of resources with garbage collection performance, but it's so slow you would have to be a real fan of the business to enjoy it! Garbage Truck Simulator does what it says on the tin, but it could have been so much more intuitive if it featured tutorials and some character.

As it stands, Garbage Truck Simulator is a very average simulator, that's probably much less fun than the real thing.

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The Orbit Xplorer application can also be used for physics and astronomy projects. The parameters of up to 10 stars, planets, satellites can be set and you are then able to watch their orbits evolve under the law of gravitation.

You can choose from 30 premade simulations and up to four simultaneous simulations can be set up. In addition, they can be viewed in 3D or one of three planes.

By using actual pictures of planets, you can plot and view the planets’ speed and acceleration vectors as well. Compatible with Windows XP and Vista, you can effortlessly run and save your own orbit simulation to use on other programs or print and share.

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The user can create a very complicated simulation of instruments and gauges by combining different graphic elements at will. In fact the software can be applied to a great many fields other than aeronautics.

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Aces High II is an online-only WWII air combat game. The game features more than 70 planes, boats, and other vehicles from six countries. This client will let you play the full game online for two weeks and does not require a credit card.

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Scott's Arctic expedition is thrown into extreme danger. The ice shelf, where Dr. Scott lay sleeping in his tent, breaks away from the continent and drifts out into the high seas.

Fortunately, Dr. Scott remembers to phone the Emergency Service Number - 911 and soon valiant rescuers, on helicopters and planes, begin to drop the needed supplies.

Unfortunately, Dr. Scott's troubles are not over. The rescuers have tried too hard. They have almost overwhelmed the great scientist/researcher with emergency supplies and now he must escape from the dropping boxes!

In Arctic Rush you play the part of the scientist/researcher Dr. Scott. Your task is to survive the relentless cascade of boxes and score points by exploding them.

You are assisted by your faithful dog, Sheriff, who will drive off the marauding polar bears who are trying to take the most important supplies.

Directions:Move Dr. Scott to stack three identical boxes together to gain points. Explode boxes for points. Reward Sheriff with a bone for chasing the polar bears away.

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Core Salvage: PuzzleYou are the infamous captain of the Stellar Cruiser Centennial! Your mission might seem simple but is quite difficult in the long run.

The objective of the game is to get in your craft and clear all the viral seeds in the ships core! Core Salvage has 35 wonderfully-designed levels, cool stereo music and sound effects!

Park a Lot II: PuzzleYou are Parker, the valet attendant. How fast can you park all those cars at the mall without crashing them? Become Parker, the valet attendant, and find out.

It ain't easy being Parker! Youda Conqueror: PuzzleFeel what it is like to conquer the world! Youda Conqueror offers bubble shooter like you have never seen before!

Feel what it is like to conquer the world! Youda Conqueror offers bubble shooter like you have never seen before. Youda Conqueror is a truly historic game.

All kind of upgrades and power ups will make you dazzle! ! ! Splash and Dash: RacingSplash and Dash is a state-of-the-art racing game were you compete on the track against 9 other racers!

Upgrade your racecar with prize money, so that you can buy cool spoilers, tires and engines! You can also choose from over 32 different custom colors to personalize your racecar!

Oh, and don't forget to stop by the tuning area to muscle up your ride! Time Fighter: Action/StrategyYou are a time fighting pilot; fighting aliens that are attacking the world in via air, land and sea.

The greatest battle of our planet begins. Our earth needs you desperately! Prepare yourself for this time-traveling attack! A Time Portal secretly invented by the great Leonardo da Vinci, will send you into the future to help fight the battle in 5 different periods in time.

Be prepared for the weather! You may encounter snow, lightening, rain and tornados, Tornados can blow your plane out of control causing you to spiral off in the direction of the wind!

The Bank Robber: Action/StrategyIn The Bank Robber, you are an ex-convict that is putting together a team that will help you play out the crime of the century!

You will be planning a massive bank heist that could possibly set you and your partners up for life! Choose from 12 high security banks and try to escape home-free with the money!

In this enthralling game, you will gather your gang of thugs, were each thug will have his or her own specialty, and take on the big banks and the highly-trained SWAT teams!

You will have to select the best team and give them the most efficient tools for the job. If you have the right gang and the right tools, your job will be easier and you can leave the bank alive, free and RICH!

Robbing a bank isn`t easy. You will need to plan the job, disable the security, avoid the guards and sneak your way into the fault. Be sure to stay alert, because jobs will become harder over time!

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You can get additional lives by capturing a bonus. Using a movable racket the player has to catch a ball. When the ball collides with the racket, the ball gets a direction perpendicular to the plane of the racket.

This makes it possible to manage the angle of flight. After the destruction of some blocks (there are 35 types of blocks in the game) there appear specials blocks with the question mark on them.

Inside of each of such blocks there is a bonus. On collision of the ball with the block the player scores from 3 to 8 points. The stronger the block, the more points are scored.

A level is finished when all the blocks have been destroyed, after which a new level starts. There are 50 levels in the game. The record list is for the first 15 places.

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You will encounter islands, bays and narrow channels. Blocking your path along the way are enemy jets, destroyers, helicopters, submarines and bridges.

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Using your plasma gun and rocket launcher, you need to destroy as many enemy planes as possible. For each plane taken down you earn points. The distance you shoot from plays a factor in the score.

The farther away the plane you shoot down, the higher the points. While you try to shoot down enemies they will shoot at the quarry. The game is over when the mining platform gets destroyed.

The SILENT ATTACK - The Near Danger Zone has high contrast, quality 3D graphics, configurable background music and sound effects. Other features of the game include in-game detailed statistics, realistic game physics, strained game play and skins support.

The SILENT ATTACK - The Near Danger Zone also has an integrated screen saver feature and various battle tactics. Overall, this game is enjoyable for hours of play.

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This one-race demo is pretty hefty at just over a gigabyte, but for that you get a really impressive, high octane experience. Split/Second: Velocity has a story, that you are a contestant in an insane reality TV show, where you race around courses that are loaded with destructive events that can change the track as well as wreck vehicles.

In this Split/Second: Velocity demo the race is around an airport, with falling towers, bridges and even a plane crash to liven up the action. The speed is incredible in this game, and the cars and scenery look great as you career around the course. There are excellent camera effects that really increase the intensity of Split/Second: Velocity , like blurring, vibrating and some great slow motion crashes!

There are no setup options, so if your PC struggles with frame rates, there's nothing you can do unfortunately. With lots of cars and events on screen, it can get a bit hectic. Split/Second: Velocity brings back the quick thrill of arcade games from the past, which is a great prospect. If you enjoy the detailed realism of simulators, this over-the-top racer won't appeal to you.

Split/Second: Velocity is a racing game that puts high octane action centre stage, while throwing the real world out of the window. It's fantastic!

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ClearView is a powerful RC flight simulator for radio controlled planes and helicopters. The program provides a number of flying sites and many remote control models. The helicopter models include 3d Raptors 60 and 90, Scale JetRanger, Lama, Apache AH-64 and Micro Electric craft such as the TRex450.

The RC planes range from light weight electric "Shockflier", to 100 size 4 stroke aerobatic Pitts Special to turbine driven F15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. Advanced RC flyers can use their own radio transmitter with USB adapter.

Other features include multi-player mode, hi-res sceneries with full collision detection, dynamic camera mode and zoom modes. You can even record, replay and share your best flights with friends. Get yourself strapped in the cockpit!

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Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X takes the series into the air, in this fast paced aerial combat game. The demo gives you two missions - a training mission, and a hectic battle over Rio.

The action takes place in 2021, and the world hasn't got any more peaceful, luckily for gamers. This is not a technical flight sim - while there are of course numerous keys to use, it's a forgiving, arcade-like control system.

The training mission takes you gently through basic controls and maneuvers, including what seems to be the game's party piece: dropping thrust to flip over and fall back behind an enemy. There are two flight modes, a traditional behind aircraft view, and the 'unassisted' mode that allows you to pull off dangerous moves, with the camera much further away from the plane.

This, along with the easy controls, make dogfights a little easier to manage, and give the battles a really cinematic feel. Your wingmen are in constant contact, and you are given running updates on the battle as a whole, along with new objectives. Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X fights are intense, exciting and great to look at.

In terms of story, it doesn't seem like anything revolutionary. Your pilot is described as a maverick, for example, which is nothing new! However, the story is less important than the gameplay, and it's really fun in Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X is a surprisingly accessible, visually impressive game that keeps the emphasis on action rather than detailed simulation.

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There was a time when air battles were not fought between spaceships loaded with colorful laser guns. Instead, pilots used old planes and machine guns, and needed to be really quick and skillful if they wanted to survive. This is precisely the setting you'll find in Aeronauts.

Aeronauts is a fun online game in which you'll engage in fierce air battles against people from all over the world. Before that, however, you'll need to go through a series of lengthy tutorials which, although a bit boring, are absolutely necessary if you want to master your plane's movements, tricks and special twirls – something that will prove essential to achieve victory.

Aeronauts can be controlled either with the keyboard of the mouse. I personally prefer the latter, but you can choose whichever suits you best. The good thing is that you're given the opportunity to test both controlling methods before making up your mind.

Being an online game, Aeronaut has a heavy social component. Too bad we couldn't fully test online characteristics due to the game's frequent connection issues – probably to be blamed on our side though. An even more interesting feature is the possibility to customize both your pilot and your plane with nicer apparel, more powerful weapons or even new skills.

Aeronauts features attractive graphics, not in a realistic style though, but following a more cartoonish style instead. Music adds the final touch to a game that, despite being difficult to control at the beginning, is really fun to play.

Aeronauts is a very original online game that give a twist to the typical air battle, presenting you with old planes and skilled pilots fighting for survival in a parallel world.

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