Forza Motorsport 3

The basics

Probably the only serious Xbox rival to the incoming Gran Turismo 5 on the Sony PS3. Both will eventually race head-to-head for the driving simulation crown, but for now Forza pips it to the release post, with GT5 not appearing until 2010. This latest installment of Forza gets loads more accuracy, massively improved visuals and scarily realistic car physics.

The good

Forza Motorsport 3 looks better than ever – the sunlight is more dappled, the scenery more beautiful, the whole experience of driving one of the 400 supercars much more immersive.
And the driving aids are better than ever before – allowing even utter amateurs a pop at the controls. A neat touch is the new rewind time feature – you’re not penalised for any number of cornering calamities rewound and retried.
Race newbies feel like they’re Lewis Hamilton rather than a buffoon thanks to the option of race markers. Turn the helpers off, though, and Forza Motorsport 3 remains a true driving simulation – tough enough even for the most experienced petrolhead.
Forza has also got more accurate – there's massively improved visuals, and car physics and handling models are also tuned up – you can even flip and roll your car if you crash badly enou

The bad

Forza Motorsport 3 looks so uncannily real that it’s disconcerting. Cars look photoreal, yet this can make the game seem glassy and bland.
Driving simulation games like Forza Motorsport 3 and Gran Turismo 5 avoid the flash, sparks-flying arcade adrenaline of series like Burnout and Need For Speed. But that means they really do need to try that bit harder in terms of presentation.
In Forza Motorsport 3, washed-out menus are complemented by a Sergeant-Major voice-over that’s utterly uninvolving and a race progression system that injects no interest into proceedings. The overall impression can be a little, well, dull.

The bottom line

400 cars, lovingly detailed and all with super-accurate handling, this is one for race-heads to appreciate. For more amateur drivers, probably better to stick to the more instant thrills and spills of arcade driving games.