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I've been simming for years. The two i use currently are X-Plane and Flight Simulator X (which has been superseded by "prepar3d").
The Carenado 337 is available for both platforms. It is based on a 337H.
For the most part I use the sim to stay sharp on IFR procedures. If you have a point to it, then its a lot of fun. If not, then it very quickly degenerates into "I wonder if I can fly inverted under this bridge?"
As far as a training platform goes, I found it invaluable for IFR. Cheap way to stay sharp! The amount of failures that can be programmed into it (including random) are quite numerous. Pretty much any system you can think of, you can fail.
For equipment, you can sink as much or as little cash into it as you choose. a $20 joystick is enough to get you going, and practice your procedures. Or you can buy a yoke... stacked throttle quadrants, rudder pedals, IR head tracking, multiple monitors, and so on. It is endless.
One of the best add-ons I have spent money on is air traffic control. Its subscription based, and gives you real-time ATC. You talk to a real person from clearance delivery, ground, tower, center etc, watching you on a scope, and all the procedures are real world. You hear other traffic, flip radios, get handoffs etc. just like the real deal.
As with any good training, I find it far more difficult than real world. It makes jumping in for a BFR a breeze.
Certainly a great training aid. Its damn good fun too!
As Herb said, there are a few different repaints available within the sim for the 337. I had a guy custom paint my aircraft in the sim, just so I could use my real world registration and occasionally flip to an external view, just so i could admire her.
Leighton.
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