strategy

After reading the reviews for MS-CFS3, the image that came to mind was the "Ishtar" or "Waterworld" of the gaming community. I recently bought CFS3, opting also for the MS Force Feedback Joystick, and I've been enjoying it thoroughly. I think the criticism is misdirected, in that the game is not easy to learn - it takes a bit of practice and experimenting to truly get the hang of it (by no means do I declare myself an expert yet). Simply changing plane types changes the reaction characteristics (which I find as a plus). If you're looking for an arcade-style, 2-minute learning curve requiring little or no advance skill - don't buy this game. If you want a flight simulator game that's challenging, realistic, entertaining, and most of all fun both single and multiplayer, buy this game. I find the graphics and detail excellent, and the realism shocking.

I'm glad I read these reviews after I bought the game! My machine is an AMD XP 2200+ 1.8 ghz with a 266fsb, 768mb pc2100 ram, GeForce4 MX 4200 64mb video card (ie top of the line system in the top 10%). However, yes I am having the same problems as everybody else. The game randomly causes my machine to crash (winXP) anytime the sliders are above 2 for the graphics quality. Besides this VERY annoying fact is that the gameplay itself is very unsatisfying. The quick combat is entertaining to jump in and go at it with several germans, but the campaign is depressing. I get very little feedback on what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, it just seems that no matter what I attack (factories, fighters, bombers) the war goes against me. Microsoft's promised online support simply isn't there yet. Oh and u fans of jet flight simulators? be forewarned. Your sweet P-51 mustang is going to act like an A-6 in a CAT III config. (ie like a pig). The fact is that I actually have to say that it is to realistic. The planes of this day were so underpowered that stalling is always a problem. U get one pass, from 20000 feet diving down against your opponent, assuming u haven't ripped off your wings by overspeed, your turn around will rob u of all your speed and u wind up in very quick and hard vertical dogfight. Good luck. Horrible system requirements (you need probably a P4 2.6 ghz with 1 gb of ram and a 128 video card), confusing gameplay, and an all around unrewarding experience.

I bought the sim and it just wouldn't work. I have a good spec PC 2.5mhz P4 with Radeon 7500 card, 512 meg RAM etc and it didn't want to know. After messing about on Microsoft's knowldege base and going around in circles I decided enough was enough. I'm not prepared to risk updating my graphics drivers when this is the only sim of many that I have that doesn't work. (See also a customer review in Feb 2004 listing problems with graphic cards.) MICROSOFT, GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER! Luckily I bought from a source where I could return my sim for a refund, which I've done. CFS 2 will have to do!