Plane simulation games are enjoyed by thousands of people on a daily basis, with many an amateur pilot sitting in front of their personal computer in to the early hours of the morning while flying a long haul flight across the Atlantic. As such the level of realism has advanced dramatically over the last ten years to a point you could probably get your pilot's licence for real.

But what makes a good flight simulation game? There are many features that I think should be present in such a game so as to get the maximum enjoyment from it. Listed below are the factors you should be looking for when wanting a flight simulator game.

1. Obviously you will want a good selection of aircraft to play with as you will soon get bored piloting the same jumbo jet all of the time. As a bonus if the software had helicopters too this would give you even more of a challenge. Also I would like older aircraft too not just modern fighter jets but some of the classics, to be able to fly them would be special.

2. When looking for the realism in a plane simulator it is not just the planes that need to be realistic. The scenery and landmarks all need to correctly represent their real world counterparts, this goes especially for the airports so a good selection of different ones is essential in any flight simulation. Imagine trying to land at Gibraltar airport knowing that one error could cause a wet landing.

3. Imagine being able to fly through a bit of turbulence or other adverse weather conditions. Flying through a rain storm would certainly keep you immersed in your game. Also you need to have differing times of day such as sunsets and night time flying. Making a landing at a harder airport at night has got to be the whole point of flight simulators.

4. A realistic control system is a must and integration with external peripherals is definitely something you need to look for in a game that you are going to be spending a lot of time with. Integration with Google maps is a feature that you should look for to as you will be able to see other pilots from across the world and where they are in real time.

5. Enjoying a good flight simulator is not just about flying from one airport to another, imagine being able to experience refuelling in mid air or patrolling the skies in your fighter jet. How about being able to land a medical rescue helicopter on a snowy mountain, all are possible scenarios in a good flight simulator game.