Colin McRae: DiRT (PC DVD)

• Platform:   Windows XP
• PEGI Rating: Ages 12 and Over
• Media: Video Game

It may be tempting to think of this simply as Colin McRae Rally 6.0, but for once a game has been rebranded not to divert attention from an aging and discredited formula, but because it really is a whole evolutionary step forward for the series. There’s now a far greater range of cars and race types than just point-to-point rallying, with everything from hill climbing to rally cross events included. The game’s also far less parochial than before, with plenty of officially licensed international rally tracks and competitions.

As exciting as all this may be though the game’s trump card is clearly its graphics. After what seems to have been an endless series of next gen disappointments this is one game that clearly could never have been done on the older consoles. The level of detail is incredible, both on the cars and the environment, but what really impresses is how interactive everything is. Pranging your car not only damages it realistically, but whatever you’ve hit as well, from roadside barriers to other racers.

The game’s other great triumph is ironically also it’s only serious flaw. The car handling is superbly realistic, but so much so that it actually makes getting anywhere in the game extremely difficult without an awful lot of practise (and ideally a good steering wheel controller). At least you can go online for a match against others at the same skill level as you though, which does help to avoid too much frustration and helps you appreciate what is probably the best next gen racer so far.
Harrison Dent

Race in challenging heavyweight 850bhp cars, drifting on the loose gravel and high-speed blind corners of Hill Climb events along perilous cliff edges. All 12.4 miles of the world famous Pikes Peak International is included, with over 150 precarious turns to negotiate through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

How about engaging in multiple car races with Dakar-style trucks and super-powered 4x4s on the toughest desert terrain in Rally Raid competitions? Then there are Rally Cross events, switching between dirt and road racing, where the competition is always tight, fast and collisions with your opponents are inevitable. Colin McRae: DIRT also offers a dedicated mode for European, International and Global rally championships featuring official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD rally cars.

Colin McRae: DIRT delivers the wheel-screaming exhilaration of off-road racing with the next generation of the series' sublime car handling and physics system and a devastating new damage engine that ensures players experience every bump in the track, every loose rock, every inch of shifting dirt through the reactive environments.

With an incredible range of off-road vehicles, thrill-packed tracks, modes that make the most of online multiplayer, and more varied events than any other single-championship rally game, Colin McRae is a bigger, faster, wilder racing experience.

• PC & Video Games > Games > Racing