This graphics software language will enable games to have the density and detail of hand-drawn environments, and FSX makers plan to use it to push this celebration of flight into the stratosphere. But pilots who wish to make the DX10 leap will require a completely new graphics card and operating system.

Flight Simulator X was once the flagship game for Vista, but delays in shipment have caused FSX to jet right past the troubled, stalling OS. Developers promise that the patch to DX10 will be completely free for pilots that choose to upgrade later. However, not a single screenshot has ever been released to showcase their claims. We have only been shown "artist renditions" of what the game will supposedly look like, despite the imminence of Vista. We have no doubt that the game will look amazing, but show us the money, Microsoft.

Above: This 'artist's rendition' promises how Flight Simulator X will appear with DirectX10. We should be so lucky.

We'll be watching this one very closely, as the preview version of FSX, while pretty, ran very poorly on our high-spec machines. Will the tenth Flight Simulator be worth an early purchase on your current hardware, or will it instead be the must-have title for new machines powered by Vista? Hopefully both, but only time will tell.

Have a try of the demo version for yourself, available here. While you are downloading the burly 636 MB trial, be sure to check out the in-flight movie of FSX while you wait, by hitting the Movies tab, above.