When's the last time any of us, in our daily rush to do this or that, looked up into the sky at the sound or sight of an aeroplane and wondered what it would be like to fly the damn thing - or even wish we were sitting in first-class sipping bubbly while having those tired feet massaged by cute flight attendants? While the latter may become reality for most of us by winning the lottery down the track, being able to fly a virtual plane has been within our grasp for years via numerous flight simulators. The leader of the pack when it comes to flight sims has always been Microsoft's Flight Simulator. With its nine titles released in almost 25 years, the franchise has been the saviour for millions of desk-bound flyboys and girls wanting a slice of that wide-open blue sky. As it happens, Microsoft Flight Simulator X is about to released and after playing it for quite a few hours, it's easily the most realistic and enjoyable flight sim to date.

Coming on two DVDs with an install coming in at 13GB, long time fans of the series will see an incredible amount of improvements along with a few familiar features. As with its predecessors, the game consists of the same core flight simulator; choose any of the 24 aircraft available in the Deluxe version of the game (less in the standard version), make a flight plan (or not even bother with that) and away you go. The newest element (and one I dare suggest was placed in to broaden the appeal of the game for those wanting something more than a simple sightseeing game) is contained within the new missions.

Consisting of over 50 missions ranging in levels from beginner to expert (of course, less for the standard version), new and veteran players alike now have access to a huge range of scenarios with which to whet their flying fetishes. Starting with the standard 'learn how to fly' series of missions, players will soon find themselves in some very realistic, and in one instance, bloody frightening situations.

Flying without an engine? You must be crazy

Having played all of the beginner missions, which were certainly very interesting in themselves, I wanted a taste of an advanced scenario. I selected an advanced mission that promised an unexpected series of events on route from the Seychelles to Trivandrum in southern India. Finding myself level at 35, 000 feet, 300 miles from Trivandrum International. While thoughtfully sipping on my latte provided by the very friendly Jerry the Steward, the First-Officer notices a fuel imbalance. Within moments, we have surge in Engine 1 (engine failure) thus making a call to local area control and advising them of our condition necessary. As we both go through our engine failure checklists, other aircraft heading to the same location are notified of our condition and told to clear a path for the approach of our sorry rear-ends and also expressing hope that we make it back safely.

What was astonishing was how real this all appeared and how anxious I become as the flight conditions slowly but surely deteriorated (probably should stop watching those airline disaster shows). There I was, sitting at a desk, grasping my joystick for dear life (no, the other one) making sure I had the appropriate trim and attitude set and feeling both grateful for air traffic control's help and terrified that I'm about to lose 150-odd souls on this flight. I won't ruin what else eventuates on this fateful trip, but needless to say, I ended up crashing within the calm waters of the Indian Ocean (no survivors I imagine).

Also included are lighthearted scenarios such as dumping flour bombs on targets from an Ultralight while landing on a moving aircraft carrier, Red Bull time trial racing and one mission I particularly enjoyed, ferrying government workers to Area 51 while being buzzed by fast, strange looking flying objects. Players are given rewards and souvenirs once missions are successfully completed.

Bad weather, here we come

These wide-ranging scenarios that are well suitable for all gives the title depth and enjoyment – something that should have been included years back. Certainly a worthy addition no matter what level of experience you approach them with.

Of course the available list of aircraft is where it's at and here's where I, along with a bevy of armchair bandits, start with the heart palpitations by just naming these babies. A broad range of models across the whole spectrum of civil aviation are represented and are available to be flown, such as the Boeing 747-400, Bell 206B JetRanger, quite a few Cessnas, the ageing but still beautiful Douglas DC-3, Beechcraft Baron, Bombardier Learjet as well as ultra-modern gliders and those accidents just waiting to happen, the Ultralights. Each model is represented in loving detail, right down to the sexy Garmen G1000 glass cockpit (a digital replacement for the old style instrumentation). The level of detail within each cockpit is simply incredible with each knob, button or dial begging to be pushed or tweaked - sometimes with dire consequences. Each model you fly is an exact replica of the real thing, making it suitable for even airline transport pilots to attempt some zany tricks they wouldn't normally get away with during work hours.

If there's anything that kills the immersion factor for a flight sim (apart from wifey screaming in the ear) it's flying about a world devoid of much human activity. Microsoft are keen to emphasis the 'living world' aspect of the title so this latest effort comes with the hustle and bustle of every day life; pretty much everything you'd expect to see outside a plane's window. Vehicles travelling on roads and highways, boats and ships of all shapes and sizes cruising along busy waterways and a multitude of other aircraft sharing the sky are all there waiting to be either landed upon, crashed into or flown past at low altitudes and high speeds (trying to fly a Jumbo 747-400 upside down beneath the Harbour Bridge is mighty tricky). The other element that adds a fair amount of depth and immersivness to the game is the clear and concise amount of radio chatter from air traffic controllers and other aircraft alike. Coming in for approach at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), flying a Jumbo 747-400 in heavy crosswind and rain along with high levels of radio chatter is quite an experience. Microsoft Flight Simulator X has an astonishing amount of airports – over 24,000 scattered about the globe, with each virtual airport delivered in high-detail and matched perfectly with its real-life counterpart. Tied in with the 'living world' approach, each airport comes with its own baggage handlers, refuelling trucks and passenger ramps that swing into action once pilots park next to terminals.

While the aircraft may look sweet, the world you are flying within is considerably improved over the game's predecessors. The high-resolution textures come up trumps when flying over some spectacular natural features - such as the islands and forest of Hawaii to the snow-covered tops of the Alps. Care for a trip to the top of Mt Everest? I'd think twice, as the game features real-world elevations as well as the correct vegetation types that belong to each country/continent. Of course, good graphics are always balanced by the performance cost to the computer and particularly in this game, it's a huge cost. Microsoft has (again) insanely understated the minimum system requirements. 256MB RAM, 1 GHz CPU and 32MB GPU will easily make a slide-show out of the game with poor frame rates if you dare touch the numerous sliders within the graphics settings. Those with monster set-ups, good for you. Those with older PCs, while you may still appreciate the game on low to medium performance setting, the title sings and shines with everything maxed.

One of the fun missions available - racing a truck

The amount of customisation in the game is equally insane, especially when it comes to the weather. The more serious player will appreciate the ability to define cloud levels and ceilings, cloud types, precipitation levels, wind altitude and speeds, gust strengths to visibility levels and of course the temperature and barometric pressure (hurricane force winds in an Ultralight anyone?). On the other hand, if you'd rather fly in real-world conditions, the program can download a worldwide snapshot of the weather every 15 minutes.

Multiplayer gets a look in with the game allowing players to fly with their friends online. While this may seem like a good idea on paper, having tried it out with a few strangers I was more frustrated in not being able to shoot down aircraft. This casual approach to joining with mates and cruising the world's skies in assorted planes may right up some peoples alley, but personally I'd rather try and convince someone to slow their Jumbo down so I could land my Ultralight on top.

For players wanting to feel like a pilot but are frightened by forking out close to $40k for a commercial licence, this is the closest you'll ever get to captaining some of the world's best civil aircraft. Easily the best feature of Microsoft's Flight Simulator X is its ability to provide a fun and challenging game to players of all experience – noobs to veterans will love this release. Just be aware of the high system requirements needed to play it at the level it should be played before you fork out cold hard cash for it. Don't forget to wave as you zoom past the bloke passed out in his Ultralight, cruising at 30, 000 feet – that will be me.