Google is like the Tesco of the internet; slowly expanding into every market and edging closer to total world domination with every second. Short of all the geeks in the world collectively deciding to go outside and do something constructive (never happen), there is no real way that the God of Search Engines can be stopped - it's reached critical mass now.
Ok, maybe I exaggerate, but it still stands that Google has just expanded once more, devouring yet more of our free time.
In a new update to Google Earth, a free 3D map of the entire planet, several new features have been added. While the Google Sky add-on is nice enough, it's the Google Flight Simulator which is the most interesting addition.
Marco Gallotta first uncovered the hidden feature, which is activated thusly according to Marco himself;
"Once you've started it all up, explored Google Sky a bit, then all you have to do is hit Ctrl+Alt+A (if you're running OS X it's Command+Option+A; some people have reported that Ctrl+A or Ctrl+Windows+A work when the standard Ctrl+Alt+A does not)."
A dialog box will then pop which offers the choice between two planes; an F16 Fighter or a SR22 four-seater. The hidden simulator even comes with full joystick support and a save option which remembers your last position. Eager pilots can choose any runway in any airport to take off from and start smashing their planes into the ground needlessly. That's all flight simulators are good for, right?
So, there you go - Google Earth finally has a use, but what's your favourite game secret ever? Are you a fan of The Dopefish or is The Cafe of Broken Dreams in Fallout 2 more to your tastes? Let us know in the forums.
