ST50 Action Stick & Throttle Score: 90% Developer: Saitek

Function: So - you wanna fly a plane? Saitek's ST50 Action Stick & Throttle is a nice entry-level flight stick; it has a trigger, a thumb button, and a base-mounted throttle-wheel. If you are planning on building you very own flight simulator at home with an authentic cockpit and such, you'll be sorely disappointed. However, if you are looking for a entry-level flight stick that does its job well (and will connect to the game port), then you've found a winner! At with a price-tag of around 10 bucks, how can you resist?

Performance: The grip of the ST50 Action Stick & Throttle is very comfortable, and is designed with a hand rest to support your hand at the bottom of the grip. In fact, this grip is designed such that it's comfortable for either right- or left-handed gamers. I found that the throttle wheel at the bottom was actually fairly easy to adjust with reasonable precision despite its size. I had expected its small size to make precision a problem, but found that it actually worked quite nicely. The ST50 has three suction cups equally spaced around the circular base. These suction cups will hold the stick pretty firmly if used on a smooth surface. (They work better when slightly dampened with a small amount of water.) The ST50 employs a spring-based centering mechanism that works quite nicely. Centering response is smooth and accurate. For an entry-level stick, the ST50 Action Stick & Throttle is a very nice stick.

Features: Rapid Response Trigger &Thumb Button Base-Mounted Smooth-Action Throttle Smooth and Accurate Self-Centering Mechanism Designed for Right and Left Handed Gamers 3 Stable Suction Cups for Mounting No Driver Disk Required Windows 95, 98, Millennium and 2000 Compatible 6'2'' cord Value priced at around 10 US dollars

Drawbacks & Problems:: This stick is great for an entry level stick. Gamers who are always looking for 'more buttons' need not apply; you simply won't find that kind of control here. However, if you want to have a joystick for playing around with some combat games, or trying your hand at flight sims, then the ST50 is an excellent choice. Also, the ST50 connects to your PC via the game port, making it an excellent choice for gamers with older systems that don't have USB ports.

-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins

Minimum System Requirements: 166MHz PC with 32MB of RAM. (Win 95, 98, Millennium and 2000 only - No driver disk required)   Test System: AMD K6 II 400mhz, Windows 98, DirectX 6.1, 64MB Ram, Voodoo 3 2000 video card, 56k V90 modem