Microsoft Flight Simulator 98

by Microsoft

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00002S7IH
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,128 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #54 in Video Games > PC Games > Simulation > Flight
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Flight Simulator 98 may not be the newest entry in this venerable civilian flight simulation series, but you sure get a lot for your money. Never mind that thousands of airports scattered around the entire earth are available for your exploration, or that you can use several prop planes, jets, or even a helicopter (oh, and don't forget the sailplane) to get there. Forget about the detailed avionics, online play, and smooth 3-D accelerated graphics. The real draw of this simulation is its open-ended design and phenomenal gaming community that has designed thousands of new planes, cockpits, graphics packs, and scenery enhancements that are all available for free on the Internet.

Take air-traffic control, for example, which is completely missing from the initial release of Flight Simulator 98 (unless you are flying one of the canned adventures included with the game). Last time we looked, there were nearly a dozen add-on packages that tack an air-traffic control model onto the game, either for free or for a small shareware fee. There are programs that let players plan flights, import real-time weather conditions that change realistically as you fly from place to place, and do just about every other thing you can think of to this simulation. If you never explore the add-ons available online, Flight Simulator 98 is still a fantastic civilian flight simulator that can provides months of high-flying enjoyment. Venture online, however, and this game reaches heights that competing products can't touch. --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Plenty of planes to fly
• Thousands of add-ons and enhancements available for download on the Internet
• Convincing flight models

Cons:

• Many new products compatible with Flight Simulator 2000 won't work with this product
• The lack of built-in air-traffic control makes for lonely skies

Product Description

The world leader in flight simulation for the PC pushes technology and realism beyond the horizon. With a global database of scenery and airports, pilot-tested flight models, detailed instrument panelThe world leader in flight simulation for the PC pushes technology and realism beyond the horizon. With a global database of scenery and airports, pilot-tested flight models, detailed instrument panels, and a fleet of challenging aircraft, Flight Simulator 98 is simply as real as it gets. Whether you're an airline captain or a student pilot, you want to fly with the leader. Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 gives you cutting edge graphics technology combined with worldwide scenery and airports.s, and a fleet of challenging aircraft, Flight Simulator 98 is simply as real as it gets.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Off we go into the wild blue yonder..., February 26, 2000

By 

Tony Velasquez - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 (CD-ROM)

I upgraded from "classic" Microsoft Flight Simulator to this edition recently. MFS only gets better and better. The best part of the software for me is its incredible adaptability and expansion opportunities. There are dozens of software packages for sale to add on to it and literally thousands of files on internet sites to download. I have spent hours alone downloading a huge fleet of aircraft! If you doubt your computer is fast enough for MFS 2000 or the price is too high right now, this is a stunning substitute for the meantime.

The only criticism I can level at the product is the manual. The '98 edition's manual is a thin leaflet with some maps in it and instructions for installation. My classic edition's manual was thick with instructions on flight and aircraft parts. This info now appears in the "Inside Moves" book that Microsoft sells. A gimmic to get you to buy more? Perhaps. But this product is so stellar, the gimmic is absolutley tolerable. I bought the book too.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Flight Simulator 98, January 17, 2000

By 

Thomas G. (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 (CD-ROM)

Microsoft Flight sims have always been top of the line, and FS98 is no different. You can take control of a variety of planes, including a 737. The planes are fun to fly, and the frame rates are smooth. In FS95, you could fly out of only 200 airports, but in FS 98 that number has jumped to 2000. One bad thing about this game, is that the planes are almost impossible to control without a joystick. It could take a 737 10 seconds to respond to the command "angle nose up". With a joystick however, these controls respond well and smoothly. Another bad aspect of the game is the ground. In urban areas it is very detailed, but in rural areas, it is a mass of big blocks. Flight Simulator 98 is a great buy, and it still remains the best. Enjoy!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost best flight sim on Earth!, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Microsoft Flight Simulator 98 (CD-ROM)

The Reason It said almost on the title is because it is almost! fs 98 (Flight Simulator 98) is almost the best for 1 reason: Microsoft has recently (in October) released fs 2000 and fs 2000 p! which have more fuctions (like better graphics more airports and scenery it comes with more aircraft, but in any fs by Microsoft you can download new aircraft, panels,utilitys like scenery, panel, aircraft, adventure creators, and stuff that give you better clouds, and scenery if you choose. I have owned it for quite a while and would rate it the best flight sim to come out (till 2000) One thing better about fs 2000 is you can download weather from the area you live! Also if you have fs95, 98, 2000 2000p you can play online with up to 8 people!