The Good

    * Six distinct racing disciplines 
    * enjoyable mix of arcade and simulation driving 
    * gorgeous looking tracks and cars that deform and break apart very nicely 
    * slick menu presentation 
    * tons of offline races to play through.

The Bad

    * Cars have something of a floaty feel to them 
    * frame rate tanks hard during certain scenarios 
    * multiplayer options are like a cruel joke.

Fans of Codemasters' Colin McRae rally racing series are in for a surprise with the publisher's newest title, DiRT. DiRT has more in common with Digital Illusions' Rallisport Challenge series than the Colin McRae games of old, putting a greater emphasis on a variety of off-road racing disciplines, as opposed to sticking hard and fast to traditional rally racing. That's not to say that rally fans will be disappointed with the game. DiRT veers a good bit further into arcade territory than earlier games in the series, but it is still a blast to drive, and absolutely stunning to look at.

The Good

    * Being able to encounter other online drivers at any given time is extremely cool 
    * single-player and multiplayer components are blended nicely into one cohesive package 
    * a huge, picturesque island with seemingly endless roads 
    * lots of available races.

The Bad

    * Online game isn't quite as "unlimited" as it initially seems 
    * no real thread to tie together any of what you're doing on the island 
    * some ugly issues diminish the overall graphical quality.

Reviewed by: Alex Navarro

If you prefer simply driving the open roads to sticking to predetermined courses, you also have the option of tracking down other players free riding around the city. This is where the whole MMOG comparison comes in (or as the game refers to it, MOOR, or massively open online racing), as players driving around the city are very visible to you while you're not engaged in a race or mission, and if you happen upon any rival online drivers, you can challenge them to a quick race for cash and ranking points. All you have to do is flash your headlights at them, and they can choose to accept or decline the challenge; if they accept, you just pick a finish line somewhere away from where you're currently situated, and race to the end.
The whole system of being able to find other, random players while simply driving around the island sounds brilliant on paper, but it doesn't offer quite as much freedom as you might hope for. For one thing, you can't just run into every single driver that happens to be in your vicinity. Though you'll certainly find plenty of other players driving around, there seems to be a limit on exactly how many can appear to you while you're in a specific zone of the island, and getting specific players into your zone can be kind of a pain if they aren't already on your friends list. It's not a bad system in theory, since it does prevent the streets from getting overcrowded with rival racers, and to its credit, the switches between instances as you drive around are completely seamless, but if you want to find someone specific that isn't automatically appearing on your list, it's a rather clunky process.

• Driving, crashing, and racing simply doesn't get much better than this  
• meticulously detailed tracks and cars  
• 28-player online racing is fun and lag-free  
• massive tuning options  
• driving school is a great addition.
• 
  

• Hefty system requirements  
• qualifying seems inordinately hard  
• menu system needs a makeover.

Reviewed by: Brian Ekberg

The PC racing simulation category isn't what it once was. While the PC used to be home to a big variety of classic, in-depth racing sim series, the ever-increasing power of game consoles and the promise of more sales have led many would-be racing developers to abandon the PC altogether. Consider SimBin's GTR 2, the sequel to 2005's GTR FIA Racing, a hearkening back to the good old days of sim racing. It's an expansive and challenging sequel to one of the best racing games of last year and, at its price, it remains one of the best bargains of the year for the PC.
From a content standpoint, GTR 2 isn't that much different from the original. The game still revolves around GT racing--a compelling mixture of multiclass sports cars from makers such as Ferrari, Porsche, TVR, Saleen, and many more, all competing on a cosmopolitan lineup of real-life tracks from all over the world. Additionally, the driving model, which so authentically captured the thrilling yet often twitchy experience of driving a highly tuned sports car in the original GTR, is even more finely tuned in the sequel. The lion's share of the game's improvements, then, can be seen in the slight planing down of the original game's often steep learning curve.

The Good

    * New vehicle classes add depth  
    * Highly authentic racing experience  
    * Both 2006 and 2007 WTCC seasons  
    * 24-player multiplayer mode  
    * Superb artificial intelligence drivers.

The Bad

    * Graphics look a bit archaic  
    * Fundamentally very similar to last year's game  
    * No photograph mode.

Reviewed by: Guy Cocker

Swedish development studio SimBin may be a small independent developer, but it has enjoyed a prolific rise to the top of the PC racing simulation market. To build on the success of its first outing, GTR, the studio enlisted the support of the World Touring Car Championship and created RACE: The WTCC Game, winning over critics and customers in the process. The sequel, RACE 07, expands the game even further, with new racing classes, such as Formula 3000, Radical sports cars, and even Minis. While the game is fundamentally similar to the previous game, particularly in the dated graphics engine, these new racing classes add considerably more depth to an already impressive package.