From what I've been told SFC3 is considerably "dumbed down," and far less complex that its predecessors. I've not played SFC3, but I have played SFC and SFC2, and I find the sim to be a lot of fun--lots of complexity in controls, variety in ships, which results in a plethora of different tactics and strategies. Be warned, while the battles are excellent, the campaigns are terrible, imo. But the battles you can fight make it worth it to me, especially since you should be able to get it very cheap now.