FS2000 is vastly overated, it does well mainly because its Microsoft and boasts 4000 airports or something but all bar a few of those are simple strips with nothing near them. The terrain is crap.
A good flight sim relevant to PPL flying would be Flight Unlimited 2 or 3. Its only got the San Francisco bay area but its very detailed and its got all the r/t stuff and the flight models are good.
However even though you could maybe try VFR navigation on it it wouldnt be the same although the general handling and having to get clearance for taxiing and stuff like that would act as a decent introduction to private flying.
I would think of all flight sims I've played as games and wouldnt recommend trying to do any serious practice on them.