Take a seat in the control cab of some of the most powerful, compact and manoeuvrable virtual cranes and work at the dizzy heights of the experts. Operate in the most diverse areas and get your head around a variety of challenges. There are all manner of different scenarios that must be mastered to improve your skills. You can construct pre-fabricated houses, load ships or even attach a bridge system to a skyscraper...

Crane Simulator 2009 allows you to climb into the seat of a selection of cranes as you carry out a range of tasks and challenges. There's a level of difficulty for all gamers so that you can start off with simple goals in order to get the hang of the controls. And then, once you gradually get up to speed with how to control each crane, you can master more challenging tasks.

There are a number of challenges that you can tackle. These include 'The Prefabricated House'; 'The Container Port'; and 'The Inner-city Building Site'.

In 'The Prefabricated House' mode you are in charge of a Liebherr LTM 1050-3.1 mobile crane and must construct a prefabricated house in a new housing development in a rural environment. This is made slightly easier by the option to view the site from a variety of different camera angles (or if you're a pro you can simply attempt this from the cab camera only.

In 'The Container Port' your task is to assist in loading and unloading ships. To help you, you are in command of a Liebherr LHM 500 mobile harbour crane. You can also consult a loading plan which shows you exactly which container must be moved and to where.

For 'The Inner-city Building Site' you control a 80-metre high Liebherr 280 EC-H12 Litronic top-slewing crane.

To complete these assignments you must move walls, ceilings, stairs, and steel beams to their positions, load huge containers, and carry heavy equipment. You will even need to prove your worth on the night shift. Depending on the level of difficulty you select you will be required to show complete accuracy to place your load exactly on the spot. The better you do it, and the faster you are the more points you earn.

For simulator fans who want something that little bit different, and a lot more challenging, Crane Simulator 2009 is a lot of fun.

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Pete Boomer