The hottest way of going for the burn

I LIKE games like Gran Turismo but then I love cars. If you've only a passing interest in motoring then I reckon GT and its ilk are about as much fun as watching grass grow.

That's not the case with Burnout 3. Even if you are the proud owner of a bus pass rather than a driver's licence, you'll still enjoy Burnout 3.

The first two instalments in this relatively new series were fun to play but the third instalment really hits its stride. It also takes the "no risk - no reward" strategy to a whole new level.

This is no boring racing game. You don't watch a pretty procession of cars driving round and round a circuit. Your opponents in Burnout 3 are out to get you. That means pushing your car into the track wall. And the only way you can stop them is to get your retaliation in first. That's right: Burnout 3 repays rough 'n' tumble driving and punishes anyone who "just wants to race".

Each car has an indicator above it which displays the driver's anger level; when it turns red stay out of their way because they will do anything to take you out. A yellow indicator usually means your unsuspecting opponent will be easy meat.

Burnout 3 makes its predecessor seem like an add-on disc so great is the disparity in scope between them. The old title had just 30 races (all in the US) whereas this one boasts 173 races all over the world. Only a few are available at the start - you have to earn the right to compete by doing well in the early rounds.

When you get really good, the game offers more exotic races - including a bus at one stage. As it's an arcade game, don't expect realistic physics modelling or unforgiving on-the-limit handling. Burnout 3 is all about speed, not inch-perfect cornering techniques.

The previous games replayed your finest crashes in slow motion but Burnout 3 goes still further. In a nod to The Matrix you can slow down a smash and actually redirect the resultant debris towards an opponent. By doing so you earn extra points. Your very best crashes are snapped for posterity and entered into your very own virtual hall of fame.

The feature that really makes the game, though, is the facility for online gaming fun. Imagine how much of a hoot it is to go online and crunch your best mate into the crash barrier when he's least expecting it. That's exactly what Burnout 3 has to offer.

The petrol heads may look down their noses at games like this but I guarantee they won't be able to resist when you load it into your PS2.

Burnout 3 is a welcome relief from the realistic but dull driving sims we've had to put up with these past few years. Go out and take it for a test drive today.

HEADHUNTER: REDEMPTION, Publisher: Sega. Formats: PS2, Xbox. Price: £39.99: Family friendly? One for the teens.

THE original Headhunter is an overlooked gem. It was released for the Dreamcast at the time Sega's 128-bit machine was in the final throes before its untimely demise. And, although devotees of the Sega box loved it, everyone else was taken with the Metal Gear Solid sequel instead.

Not even a belated release on the PS2 was enough to save Headhunter from obscurity, although it has something of a cult following among gamers canny enough to have got hold of a copy. Maybe that's why the sequel is called Headhunter: Redemption - because it offers folk who missed out the first time around another stab at joining in the fun.

Some things have changed, though - and not all of them for the better.

The motorcycle levels that helped break up the stealth sections of Headhunter have been largely ditched this time around. That's a shame because I enjoyed the variety they added. Nor do you get to play the main character from the first game (headhunter Jack Wade) until the final third or so of this new adventure. Instead you get to control Jack's new partner, the sassy Leeza X, who has a neat line in Kung Fu moves as well as all the stealth abilities of her boss.

It's a bigger challenge than Metal Gear. Aiming your weapon takes real skill, for instance, and some of the bosses on later levels are incredibly hard to beat. Making good progress requires more than good reflexes, though. The puzzles in Redemption need real brain power. There's usually only one way to solve them, too, so once you've played through Redemption it becomes much easier to beat if you can find the time to have another go.

The visuals are fine - Jake and Leeza look terrific and mostly move with a smooth fluency that's sometimes missing from less carefully crafted stealth adventures.

For me, Headhunter: Redemption was a welcome reminder that the Dreamcast gave the world some terrific games (even if most of the world didn't give a fig). It's a great adventure and one of the best stealthy 'em ups of recent times.

You owe it to yourself to give this game a spin. You never know, it may even encourage you to seek out a second-hand Dreamcast just to give the original a go too.

Published: 08/10/2004