Lotus Challenge

Now here`s a first for new-gen console racing games: Lotus Challenge for the PlayStation 2 actually lets you damage the cars. Astonishing. It`s all standard racing fare here and for the most part there`s nothing out of the ordinary that would make you sit up and point screenwards in astonishment--until you smash your Elise into a solid object, at which point panels fly off convincingly and bodywork crumples satisfyingly during your attempts to keep your vehicle of choice under control. Real racing at last--hurrah!

Officially licensed by the British racing and sports car specialists, this game covers many years of Lotus` history, allowing the player to take the wheel of cars ranging from the 40s and 50s right up to the late 90s. Control is good, if a little spongy at times; it`s difficult to say if this is true to the real cars, but for a video game it feels a little woolly after the crisp, responsive handling of Gran Turismo 3. Other than that Lotus Challenge is a competent little racer with a lot going for it. Graphics are up to the PS2`s increasingly high standards and while some of the circuits lack a little in the imagination stakes, this is a title that sports-car fans are going to want to dabble with. --Chris Russell

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