Flight Simulator X Pole to Pole

First Class Simulations have brought us another interesting add-on for the great Flight Simulator X, this time allowing us to travel across the globe in a mammoth Pole to Pole journey using the robust Aero Commander AC680.

Whereas the previous Lancaster add-on was all about the planes, this time it's all about the journey, in this case an epic 20,000 mile flight from the Alert Nunavut Airfield in the Arctic Circle to Palmer Station in Antarctica. Rather than offer missions like the majority of the other add-ons this is more like one huge adventure, taking around 300 hours to complete the flight. Thankfully you don't need to book a month off work to play this one as you can either fly the full run or just select a specific leg of this epic journey.

Each of the 52 legs is essentially a mini-mission ranging from 1 to 5 hours in length, with each one testing your piloting skills, be it a long flight through Brazil, making an approach at the notorious Castlegar Airport, or landing at the snow covered South Pole.

The Aero Commander AC680 comes with a few liveries and a ski for those dangerous snow landings. As expected from First Class Simulation titles the level of detail is deep, with liveries and the plane models looking great as well as featuring realistic cockpit controls. To get the most out of Pole to Pole we really have to recommend running it on a high spec PC, it's all about the landscapes and with a low setting you'll miss the breathtaking moments like flying over outstanding mountain ranges.

Pole to Pole is set-up as a sightseeing tour, giving you plenty of opportunity to take your time and soak in the views, however if you fancy a challenge you can always tinker with the weather settings to push your flight skills further.

The asking price of around £20 is a serious sticking point as the only real new item on offer is the plane, the rest of the flight is possible with the Flight Simulator X disc alone. However we've attempted to set up the flight plans on our own and trying to choose the right plane as well as the correct flight plan is an awful lot of work if you don't know what you are doing.

Pole to Pole is not an essential purchase, it all boils down to how invested you are into this otherwise great simulator experience, simply, if you've enjoyed putting hours into previous enstalments then this is certainly going to keep you interested for the next few flights.