I just got Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002. I flew from Minneapolis to St. Louis to New Orleans last night. I was in a World War I era Sopwith Camel biplane, using only my wits to navigate down the Mississippi. Ok, so I used a map once or twice to see what state I was in, but otherwise it was all dead reckoning.

Couple things I like:
1. Scenery is Really Pretty. I have a list of destinations around the world I want to visit.
2. It's HUGE. Madagascar is on my list of destinations. I think that's so cool. The whole world on three CD-ROMs. I cannot imagine how they do that.
3. The planes are fun. I was sporting around in my Biplane for a while, but when I went back to revisit New Orleans, I took one of those huge 747's. Can't wait to try the seaplane -- I want to land it on Bear Lake, where our cabin is.
4. No CD involved. If you install the whole honkin 1+ gig, you don't need the CD when you play. This is super for my laptop, which has an external CD.
5. It works. With the graphics cranked up it can get a bit jerky, but for the most part it's smooth and pretty, even on my old machine.

I think tonight I might try and fly across an ocean. See how long that takes.. :)