What's the difference between a flight sim and a space sim? Approximately several thousand vertical miles, and while these genres are similar, enigmatically enough they're also very different. You don't get trolly dollies and sick bags on your average space shuttle, or on your high tech class III warp destroyer for that matter.

To play either type of game, though, a sturdy joystick is pretty much a must - a quality name like Thrustmaster (well, the name's not quality but fortunately the stick is). The keyboard is universally accepted as a crap way to pilot, although you do need it for the extra banks of controls these games invariably have.

Take Microsoft's Flight Simulator 2000, or Flight Unlimited III from Eidos, as examples. Every key has a function, and the attention to detail in terms of implementing a realistic flight experience is amazing. With truly accurate flight models, proper taxi-ing instructions and landing procedures, you could use these sims to train pilots for real. Strictly not for anyone but the flight anoraks, who are happy-as-Larry playing the part of Captain Haddock, bringing in his crates of fish cakes with a night-landing at Tokyo airport.

Aerial combat sims make up more of the flight sim population, however, and range from early biplane combat affairs like the smart Red Baron (Havas), to the latest in jet fighter warfare like Jane's F-18 (EA), a truly brilliant 'fight-n-flight' sim.

The space sims tend to be entirely combat-based, although some dabble with the idea of intergalactic trading and such; a legacy from the old 'Elite' game. Space warfare is a far more relaxed blasting affair than flying an F-22. These games tend to have plot-lines to them, and boast detailed cut-scenes. A good example of a fine space opera is StarLancer (Microsoft). It's not that they can't have their complexities - the X-Wing series had some 70-odd key controls - but they do tend to settle softly on the 'less sim, more boom' side of the gameplay equation.

Some even tried having 'real spatial' physics, such as Elite II (Frontier), but the less said about that the better. It was like piloting an oil tanker; you had to give two hours notice if you wanted to change course. Not everybody's idea of fun.