Do some drive time at home
V8 Supercars 3
XBox

The game: If you’re a car racing nut – then Atari has the title for you. If it has four wheels and it’s currently raced in motorsports today then you can simulate it.

The play: Race how you want – be it championship mode in a professional career, or leap in and bash, thrash and hack through the circuits at one speed – flat out. 116 championships with authentic race rules and regulations will keep you on the straight and narrow. You can still play last man standing thanks to the realistic damage engine which will not allow you to simply drive away after hitting a wall at over 200km/hr. Your tyres warm up and wear, your engine heats and blows and your competitors nudge and bash you just to add to the realism of the experience.

The terrain: Codemasters and Atari have done an excellent job on the graphics and the scenery is good. The sound effects are awesome in surround sound. My neighbours could feel the throbbing of the mighty V8s on the grid just before the green light. Go online with 12 of your mates and then see who really is the last person driving.

The experience: This title has plenty of variety for all car enthusiasts which is what makes it so great. Highly recommended for the collection.

- Sqn-Ldr Nick Hogan

Driver – Parallel Lines
PS2

The game: It’s 1978 and you are 18-year-old TK, have moved to New York City in search of excitement and you’ve found it in the underworld and you’re looking to make it big. Things don’t go too well for you and after some time in the joint you’ve got a bit of payback in mind.

The play: Standard gangster / car racing deals here – races, collect packages, steal a car, fit it with a bomb, and then drive it back to where you found it so the owner can get an explosive surprise. Some missions are on foot, but mostly you’re behind the wheel and when you’re trying to shoot and drive you’ll find the in-game targeting system quite annoying. The police will only mildly harass you as they’re never too difficult to avoid.

The terrain: First up – the cutscenes are superb. The cars can handle a massive amount of unrealistic damage, the sound effects are decent and there is solid music in the 1978 section.

The experience: This version is pretty much a Grand Theft Auto clone although you do have to obey the law (at times). It’s a reasonable title and the ’70s portion rocks.

- Sqn-Ldr Nick Hogan

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