Project Gotham Racing 2 (Xbox Classics)

When I first got this game, I was slightly dissapointed with the graphics, as they are not are 'sharp' as some racing games (eg TOCA 2), but after a while I realised that is because they are more realistic. The graphics are representative of what you see at 100 mph, so they won't be pin-sharp, but saying that, they're still excellent, and the cars look teriffic.

Where this title wins hands down is in the gameplay department. I played this game on single player mode for over 6 months, and loved it. The handling of the cars is excellent, and once you learn the courses, you can have some really exciting races, even if the AI of the computer controlled cars is a bit flawed. However, once I got Xbox Live, things got really good...

Amongst the options available in Xbox Live, you can select the 'skill' level of the people you want to race against. As a novice, you will race against people of a similar standard, and you can select higher levels as you improve. What I loved about this is that you soon get a group of players who 'grow up' together, and soon you'll all be racing at a really high standard. It's not hard to explain the attraction - When 8 of you are on the grid of the fast Moscow Track in your Enzo Ferraris, ready for the charge to the first corner, or as you slipstream someone on the final straight, and pip them to the finish, for a second it feels as if you are in a real Formula 1 race.

This is the must have title for the Xbox. Forget Halo 2, with it's Live players from America killing you as soon as you start. This is the best.

The single player will easily last you 30 hours, and then some. There's the Kudos World Series, Arcade Racing (Time Challenge, Cone Challenge and Street Race) and then you've got the Circuit Challenges and the Car Challenges. You're definitely not short of things to do if you're playing on your own.

Then we have the Xbox Live modes which are once again fantastic fun. You can easily lose yourself for a whole day online, just whizzing around beating the French. Kudos earned here also allow you to buy new cars, too.

Graphics and sound are something else. I'm still amazed at the quality of the graphics that Liverpool-based Bizarre Creations got into this game, even one year on. The sound of the engine and the effort put into the radio station system is also fantastic.

Now this is on the Classics label it can be had for a few pence short of £20, and you'd be silly not to buy it that price. This game is easily marked under 'essential' next to the likes of Halo and Ninja Gaiden. Don't miss this out of your collection, grab it at this fantastic price and sit happily knowing that it was made in this very country.

Fantastic to see we've still got such fantastic game-making talent in this country. Thank you, BC.

The game may not have the slick speed of the burnout series, or the addrenalin rush of almost throwing your car of a cliff in any number of rally titles, but what this game offers is a superb "pack race" through some of the largest cities in the world, underbrake your opponent, slip stream em down the straight and then, wallop, pass them on the corner, of course trading a little paint work on the way past.

You start the game with a limited garage, and then work the way through the game, having to earn the right to be able to drive the cars usually reserved for football players and pop stars. There are over 100 tracks and cars on the game, making sure it will take you more than 5 mins to obtain them all. The single player is all based round Kudos points which buy you better cars, these are earnt not only through winning races but driving with style, great overtaking manouvres, driving on the racing line at speed, etc etc

The multiplayer game adds another dimension, get your mates round and cut em up in all from Mini coupes to top of the range porsches and any other car thats worth its salt.

Online, the game has a massive following and plays a lot slicker than any of its competitors - and there ae players of all levels on line to challenge and play against - with the option to down load even more content at a small price, it makes the game even better !!!

Overall a cracking game, well worth the small price