Summary Summary: Simulation as a training instrument is a rapidly growing field in anaesthesia. The present an-aesthesia simulation courses provide voluntary staff training in the management of rare complications or particular emergency events under the supervision of experienced instructors.The educational value and the training success depend,above all,on a well-structured of the course content and an adequate qualification of the instructors.There is a good chance that simulation courses will gradually be used as a tool for quality assurance. However, this development is still hamper-ed by the lack of validated assessment criteria for determining the success of the training. Furthermore, it would not be advisable to establish required courses of training,since these tend to suffer from a low motivation of the trainees and possibly also from the parti-cipants´ fears to fail in dealing with the extreme situa-tions simulated. Hence, a non-intimidating concept is needed to guarantee success and acceptance of simulation courses.