Classic Flight Simulator Collection

As in prior versions of FS98, you can fly your choice of several included aircraft (and the hundreds of planes you can download off the internet and customize; you can only use aircraft designed for FS98, CFS, FS5 and FSFW95; for planes designed for FS5 and FSFW95, you will probably need to download the AFCONVERTER utility, but it's free) from hundreds of airports and airfields, navigating over a virtual world populated by a staggering amount of dynamic scenery (other planes, ground and marine traffic) and with more naturally contoured topography than before. There's also an interactive instructor (okay, not very interactive) and, this being a Microsoft product, FS98 comes standard with the features that people used to get from third-party stuff on the internet. Installation of add-on planes is fairly simple. Most aircraft come with animated control surfaces, landing gear and gear doors, a far cry from FS3 when we were happy enough if the wheels just disappeared when we hit "g". There's not much else you can say about a game that essentially allows you to tweak it like a guitar (don't like the generic Learjet control panel? Download a better one; think the start-up checklist on the included 737 is a bit too simple? Buy a third party pack that offers you four different 737 variants, in a dozen liveries, each requiring a pre-takeoff checklist longer than "Moby Dick"). FS98 ran well on my older computer, a P200MMX with a 12MB Voodoo2 card, and it supported my Thrustmaster FCS/WCS setup with minimum hassle.

Performance of CFS, though, suffered until I upgraded to a P4 (though you probably won't need that much power). ... CFS allows you to add (ala FS98) new planes to fly and, with a bit of tweaking, to fly against. Otherwise, CFS is a major disappointment. The planes look like very pretty models. They handle well and have the challenge you'd expect. The missions offered are very dissappointing - with the campaigns not only scripted, but very short. ...Here, no matter how you fly, unless you're killed, you just go onto the next mission, with no allowances made for your previous failures (or even the possibility that you may lose the war). Some missions are pretty unrealistic - like lightly armed and low-ranged Spitfires taking on U-Boats or sent on strafing missions into occupied France when Hurricanes would have been a better choice, assuming that the strapped RAF of 1940 wanted to spare its precious fighters even for that). ... In short, CFS is a very competent sim, but not one that will knock your socks off.


After three years...   September 8, 2002
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

...I saw CFSC in [a local store]. I promptly bought it.
For 1996-98, CFS1 and FS 98 are pretty good...... FS 98 has pretty bad graphics, and a small selection of planes. CFS1 looks horrible on default graphics, but after a little tinkering looks just fine. The battle damage is only fair, and through some glitch, your bullets at times go right through enemy aircraft. You cant fight Me-262s, only get them on the ground. One huge good point-the importable aircraft and scenery. Ever try to dogfight a Focke-Wulf in a 737?
If you buy this game because you're looking for cool grahics and hot action, you will be terribly disappointed...