F1 2002

A real plus for the game is it has the current championship season cars, tracks and drivers - the first F1 game to achieve this.

After this, the first thing of note is the menu system, which is very slick, and easy to use - as we have come to expect from E.A. Sports titles over the years.

And for the first time, there is a Challenge Mode, which serves to take you through the basics of driving an F1 car in much the same manner as the license system used in the Gran Turismo series on the Playstation.

In addition to testing your accelleration and braking, you also get to drive on wrong tyres, heavy or light fuel loads, new and used tyres, and also when the car is damaged (limpimg back to the pits at Monaco with a damaged front wing, for example).

After completing the above with a suitable score, you then have to do a hot lap on every course before unlocking more of the game's features.

The tests are very enjoyable and serve to illustrate that the cars really do handle so differently depending on the tyres e.t.c.

The game also gives you more options to do with difficulty and car setups - and also allows you more control over pit stops, which is a new thing for the series.

You can, of course, go straight in and race but not on all the circuits initially.

The car handling seems to be accurate as far as an armchair fan can determine - the cars slide more as tyre wear comes into play and understeer more on a full tank of fuel - seems logical but it can catch you out especially after driving around for a few laps and getting into a rhythm only to find you breaking points are getting earlier and earlier for those hairpins because the tyres are getting worn.

The graphics are a mixed bag - on one hand the cars are beautifully presented and the tracks are accurate, but on the other the scenery is a bit dreary at times. Monaco looks as good as ever as does the A1 Ring, and yes, the ferris wheel at Suzuka is there (in fact, the whole fairground seems to have made it into the X-Box version).

Weather effects are very good - the on-board camera view is especially good where the rain splashes on the camera.

Another improvement in graphics over predecessors is the pit crew, which is fully animated and looks authentic.

The driver AI has been improved leaps and bounds over earlier versions - they will undertake, overtake and will obey blue flag situations also - they do move out of your way, but also will block you when not required to.

So what are the problems - well, the pit stops are one. Should you pit early to change a wing e.t.c. then your car is not refuelled - this to me is ludicrous and you can pit one lap early and have to pit again the following lap to receive fuel.

Also, the sound is a bit weak. The engine noises are fine - no worries there - but there is no commentary (not a problem for me personally), and you get pit radio instead - which is fine until you get repeatedly told your teammate is catching or being caught by somebody over and over again. Perhaps this is authentic I don't know.

All in all, it is a very enjoyable game despite the minor annoyances and should be high on the list of any F1 fan.

It plugs a gap until the master of F1 games - Grand Prix 4 - hits the X-Box soon.