Colin McRae Rally 04

Ben finds himself sliding all over the place. Which he likes.

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Let me start off by saying that I do follow Rallying on the TV, not just the World Championships but also the Paris-Dakar and various other events. I find the sport very entertaining and I have great respect for the drivers and co-drivers; it takes guts to drive at 110 mph through Scottish forests. Hell, I wouldn't even do it at 40mph! However, as much as I like the sport, I haven't really given the game versions much time. I have played GT3's rally mode to death and I used to love V-Rally and the original CMR, but since then I haven't really picked up and played a Rally game at all. They all seemed a little fake with their invisible walls and unrealistic handling. Therefore, I thought it was about time I played one of the new breeds; roll on Colin McRae Rally 04.

It would appear that the Rally games that I remember are a thing of the past. This game has taken my doubts and thrown them clean out of the Focus WRC's window, only to be run over by the Saxo behind us. Rallying games have evolved and this must surely be the finest example of that evolutionary progression.

The first thing that truly astounded me about CMR04 is the way it looks! From the incredibly chic options and title screen to the simply beautiful in-game graphics, this game is polished! The cars glimmer and shine like a turtle wax commercial, until you start driving like a maniac, of course. Then they show realistic damage, crumpling convincingly and shedding panels as you bounce around the track. The grit and grime, water, mud and dust fly from the car's wheels via incredibly realistic physics; you feel as if you should be soaked. This game is as close as you can get to sitting in the driver's seat, although that's something I'd rather leave to the professionals.

However, the most stunning thing about this game is not the graphics, impressive as they may be. It's the realistic sense of freedom. I am still slightly awed by the sense of realism that this game allows the driver. Imagine my surprise as a GT3 veteran, when I lose control on a delightfully muddy corner, slide towards the apex, (expecting full well to smash into an invisible wall) only to slide up the bank, through the fence, past some bushes and into an pine tree. Ouch. But what an improvement! I found myself enjoying losing control, sliding around into trees and over fences; it's an incredible advancement and makes the game so much more appealing.

But that's not where the incredible physics stop, oh no... We also have the most precise and realistic control system I have ever used. 4WD cars handle like 4WD cars! They don't just feel like grippier rear wheel drive cars like they did in GT3; they actually perform like a four wheel drive car should, gripping the road equally with all four wheels. All the other classes perform as they should too, and I pity the driver who takes a 1970's rear wheel drive behemoth out during the Rally of Great Britain. You will crash. Speaking of which, the crashes are spectacular with incredibly realistic damage. If you slide into a dry stone wall at 80mph, the chances are your suspension, brakes and indeed drive on that side of your car will be ruined, so you'll have to limp to the end of the stage, just like the pros. Also, just like the pros, you can get angry and start throwing things around and swearing. I found it helps with those Championship cock-ups...

One thing lacking from many Rally games are the cars themselves. Anyone remember dear old Sega Rally and it's two cars? Those days are far behind us now as CMR04 has a massive 30+ selectable vehicles, including WRC, group B and various classics like the Intergrale and Stratos. The cars all handle differently too, I found a distinct difference between the Lancer Evo VII and the Impreza WRX, enough for me to decide which car is better for which courses.

Of course, many of you will want to play this kind of game with friends, as a competition for the best 'rallyer' and CMR04 doesn't disappoint here either. There is a two-player mode, which, whilst slow in places, still provides an immense amount of fun. Of course, if the slowdown gets too much you can always play the multiplayer version...

There's only one thing that isn't as good as it could be here. That's the sound. For the most part the shouted directions and splashing sounds are very good, but it escapes me why, after all this time, we still can't get the sound of an engine right. We have realistic transmission noise, hell, even good turbo whistle but the engine itself sounds whiny and hollow. It must be possible to recreate the slightly more bassy sound of an engine, after all, we have progressed so far elsewhere. It's just a minor point but it's one that takes a slight edge off that realism. I guess I'll have to make do with the sounds in my head instead, then...

All in all there's not anything bad I can really say about this game. It's the evolution of Rallying, if you like driving games, go and buy it now. If you like Rallying, I guess you'd already have it. I'm off to attempt the Rally of GB in a two-wheel drive V8. See you in the trees....

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By Ben Jackson