Platform: Xbox 360/PS3/PC | Developer: Sega Racing Studio | Publisher: SEGA | Released: September 28th 2007 | Best Price: £29.99 for 360 version at BlahDVD.com

With the focus well away from the trappings of realistic handling, extensive car customization and damage simulation, SEGA's Solihull-based new Racing Studio have nailed the gameplay in SEGA Rally as well as anyone could have hoped, and made this by far the best instalment of the series since the 1995 original, and with nostalgia goggles aside, this is probably the best SEGA Rally ever. These are British people making a Japanese game, whether they're picked from the cream of UK development houses (they are)or not. Creating a faithful yet evolutionary successor to one of the most successful arcade games of all time is a very tall order, and they've really shown the Japanese how it's done after the non-event which was Sega Rally 2006 on PS2.

SEGA Rally will initially feel very floaty and your car seems to rotate far too willingly on its axis. This is because the last car racing game you played was Forza 2, which while an excellent game, is the most anal of simulations on the console market. Once you tune yourself back into Sega Rally Championship mode, you should feel at home again fairly quickly. At first, it's a battle to just keep away from the walls, but eventually you'll be searching for the solution to each and every corner in the minutest detail to hammer home a new lap time.

Drifting round bends is an art in SEGA Rally, rather than something that just happens in games like Ridge Racer and OutRun2, or even the misguided SEGA Rally 2. Once you've worked out the sweet spot for initiating a power slide, it's tough to keep hold of, but ultimately rewarding. There's a very technical game under the bonnet, but that shouldn't put anyone off. The beauty of this game is how easy it is for novices to play. The first few multiplayer races will be among the most entertaining, as you fly over the bumps, hitting walls and careering into each other on the bends with no penalty or damage. You'll get a crap time, but at least none of such flailing will force you to restart the race. It's an exhilarating experience throughout, and even your mate-who's-not-bought-a-game-since-tomb-raider should stand a chance.

As far as single player goes, time trial is where the old-timers will go, but first there's a reasonably meaty championship mode which must be played to unlock the extensive set of vehicles, paint jobs and bonus tracks. The aim here is of course to get out of last place, and you'll find that the game's gimmick has mixed things up a fair bit. This deformed terrain isn't just a snazzy shader effect, those are real polygons being squished by everyone's tyres. When you drive back over them on the next lap your wheels will react as you can imagine with your real life experiences of such pursuits as of going down stairs, and stubbing your toe on the doorstep for the millionth time. Following the racing line can now be both beneficial and costly. Some surfaces like a good squishing, and so you'll want to take advantage of the growing ruts, while others will just become too lumpy and hold you back when you could be skimming over the untouched areas.

A slightly surprising move is the abolition of the 'rally' race format altogether. It's still predominantly off-road, with a selection of classic, modern and fictional rally cars, but we're talking 3 lap circuits with 6 cars starting simultaneously rather than point-to-point which strictly speaking defines the real sport. But it's not rally, it's SEGA Rally, and enough rules have already been broken on the physics and and the optimum weather side of things. It would have been nice to have a classic arcade mode, but sadly there is none.

It only runs at 30 frames, rather than the traditional 60, which has many up in arms, but the sense of speed and fluid movement is intact and we're spared the horrendous screen-tearing most other 60 frame next gen games suffer from. And when the environments are this lush, in the SEGA dream world style that SRS have nailed, who but the AV buffs are going to dwell on it?

It's a fast-paced, dramatic, skilful and yet highly approachable game which is the perfect racing accompaniment to anyone's library. And stop comparing it to the Colin McRae games, you wouldn't compare Pro Evo to Virtua Striker, would you? With the online network code a joy to behold, and split screen also naturally there, this should be your first choice for a multiplayer racing game right now, and there's plenty to do in the single player in-between. Go now and be converted.