Sports Car GT

They say that successful comedy relies on good timing. And the same argument holds true tor software releases. Chasing the exhaust of Codemasters' outstanding TOCA2, this racer is stuck in second gear by comparison (which explains the lack of pre-release fanfare). Although it's pitched as a simulation, it's superbly controllable from the off - if you've got a steering wheel, that is; strangely, using a joystick is fraught with problems, as even minor deviations from steering 'dead ahead' send you spinning out like a duck on ice.

It looks beautiful - despite heavy doses of 'pop-up' - with all the European hot-rods handling in subtly different fashion, and although there are only eight championship backs on offer the opposition poses a mammoth challenge, racing almost faultlessly and with real aggression. Unsurprisingly, without a 30 card the game starts to fall apart - losing many of the special effects and the convincing sensation of speed - meaning that only GT fans with all the necessary hardware (and racing skills to match) will get any mileage out of it. Casual gamers would do well to steer clear.