Sims are fantastic, I try to get at least one sortie a week, you don't realize your getting better because the situations the sim guys give you get harder as you get slicker, as has been said before, you can load yourself up with weather, location, emergency types until your head explodes. I still get a warm feeling after I walk away from a 'successful' sim landing. No substitute for real flying though, except maybe a little IF sim.
