(There seem to be anecdotes posted by people who have felt use of MS Flight
Simulator helped them get a leg-up in their training and others who felt MS
FS actually slowed them down.)

It all depends on your approach to flying. If you think a pilot's
primary instruments are the Artificial Horizon, the ASI, the tachometer
and a myriade of other gauges, then a sim will probably help. But if you
believe that a pilot's primary instruments are the natural horizon, his
butt and the feel of the controls, then a sim will most definitely slow
down a student's progress and may even bring it to a halt.