V-Rally 3

If you've ever wanted to drive a ludicrously fast car down narrow roads at terrifying speed there's no longer any need to thrash a Mini Metro through the countryside--just buy V-Rally 3 for the PlayStation 2. The latest in Sega's highly successful series of off-road racing games embodies the best and the worst aspects of the racing genre: it's great fun, and unlike some racing games it's possible to smash huge chunks off your motor and give it a, er, structural re-design. On the downside it's hard, very hard, to master. The learning curve is almost vertical and it takes a good couple of hours' practice to get to the point where you can keep the car on the road for any length of time. Get past this initial sticking point, however, and V-Rally is excellent fun.

Graphically it's gorgeous--low sun blocks the view of the horizon in winter weather and the snow courses look so real it's tempting to get out of the car and construct a quick snowman. Sound too adds to the flavour with fully realistic engine sounds and a codriver who gets almost sarcastic when a mistimed bend results in an unfortunate meeting with the scenery. Race modes include an arcade driving section and an excellent career mode which allows the competitive player to tackle the 20 top class vehicles on offer. Overall, V-Rally 3 is a very worthwhile purchase; once the initial shock of the difficulty wears off there's real depth and excitement here. --Chris Russell

Features:

Up to 20 vehicles from Subaru, Mitsubishi, Citroen, Ford, and more
Exclusive 1.6L class vehicles also available
6 different locations
A number of unique game modes, including the V-Rally mode
Fully configurable vehicles
Destructible roadside objects and scenery and animated tracks
Co-pilot pacing notes
Realistically modelled damage