Yes, Microsoft FS is good for instrument. It is highly accurate with positioning in the real world. As far as preflight checks, there is nothing you can do in the game. The rudder is unreal, stalls are unreal, takeoffs and landings are unreal, traffic is unreal.. I played it for a couple years before I got my PPL and I knew what all the intruments did before my first lesson, but other than that, it's just entertainment. if you use your charts with the game and set it on very dense fog, you can get good practice with navigation, as long as you don't cheat by using the GPS feature. Anyway, that's my opinion of the game. Fun, and for $44.95, it's as realistic as it cost.