Air Races

"Pulse-pounding excitement" isn't a term you're likely to hear from anyone describing Microsoft's long running Flight Simulator series.

"Pulse-pounding excitement" isn't a term you're likely to hear from anyone describing Microsoft's long running Flight Simulator series. Third-party publishers continually try and jazz up the old war horse, however and that is the Reason for Being behind Air Races--a new FS98 add-on from WizardWorks.

For a modest $20, Air Races gives you eight new planes and a handful of races and adventures in which to test them out. These involve four low-level pylon race events set in FS98's default Las Vegas, London, Paris and Hong Kong scenery areas as well as a brace of "DEA Rescue" adventures which call on you to rescue some imperiled colleagues with your Cessna before bombing the headquarters of an evil drug kingpin.

Although moderate entertainment value can be found in the game's race events, the included adventures are about as cheesy and poorly-structured as I have ever witnessed in an add-on scenario of this type. Apart from the annoying (and rather insulting) Charlie Chan accent used by the actor voicing the despotic drug lord, Quong, success here has more to do with bombing accuracy (and with a Cessna no less!) than piloting skills.

No, if you're serious about collecting additional planes for FS98, then the five tail-dragging racers and three twin-engine models offered in the game may be enough justify the sticker price. If you're not, then the corny adventure premise behind Air Races has about as much to offer discerning cyber-pilots as Deer Hunter did first-person shooter.

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