Before anything else, I have to mention the look and feel. It's modeled after real cockpits (not that I've flown a real plane). It feels solid in the hand, too. The G940 has a dual throttle control for multiengine craft that can lock into a single throttle if you'd like to go crop dusting in a barnstormer rather than pilot a 747. The set also has rudders with toe brakes, essential for trying to land in tough conditions. But two things in particular stood out to me.

First, it has programmable throttle-based buttons. Yes, their being programmable is nifty--and that's similar to what you can find on a number of flight systems already out--but each of the buttons works with different color states: green (A-OK), yellow (warning), red (ruh-roh), and dark (busted). Apparently that's the way it is on a real plane--not that I ever want to see that happen.

The other big thing in the G940, which many other flight setups miss, is force feedback. If I'm piloting a particularly tough flight, I want to feel every G and get a better idea of which way the winds are blowing--as well as a better sense of whether I'm drifting too far off course. The G940 has that.

Now, while all of this is well and good, there's one question that I simply have to ask: Why now? Is there a glut of flying games that I don't know about? Even , the prime flight game, has backed away in recent years. Well, for the few hard-core players who have the right stuff--and who can spare $300 for the kit--maybe the G940 is something to consider when it launches in September.