Driving force makes race game one to watch

COLIN McRae has already wowed gamers on the PS2 platform. Now he's looking to conquer new territory on the PC. And, to be honest, that shouldn't be so difficult. The PC has fewer top of the line driving sims than the Sony console which is positively groaning under the weight of Gran Turismo wannabees. If McRae can shine on the PS2 he should really fly on the PC.

First surprise is the massive install this game requires.

It comes on three CDs and every one is required when you first load the programme to your hard drive. Once there the Colin McRae programme eats up a massive 3.5 gigabytes of space. Thank goodness hard drives are so cheap these days.

For once the minimum specifications (a P750Mhz processor running with 128MB of RAM memory) are exactly that - the absolute bare bones required to get this game up and running.

Codemasters recommends a Pentium 4 1.4GHz fitted with 512MB of RAM for decent performance.

Note also that Colin McRae isn't compatible with a host of older graphics cards. Got a Voodoo 4 or 5, a Matrox 440 or a TNT 2 card running inside your beige box? That'll be another £100 to upgrade before you can get behind the wheel with the Scots former world champ.

OK so you've got the game on your hard drive and your PC measures up to the minimum specs - what's it like to play? The answer is very nice indeed.

To date this series has shipped more than six million copies - a fact that has made it one of the most widely acclaimed motorsport franchises on any platform.

This sequel takes the tried and tested McRae handling and attention to detail on to the next level. It isn't surprising to discover that Colin and co-driver Nicky Grist had a hand in the design of the new game because it feels and looks fearsomely authentic.

And while Colin McRae may have moved on to another team in real-life (he drives for Citroen in the 2003 championship) his cyberspace alter ego still has a Ford works contract in the back pocket of his Nomex overalls so you drive a souped up Focus.

The real fun to be had begins in the championship where you are handed a three-year driving deal and just like the pros you have to compete at the highest level across a full season of rallying.

This takes you to Japan, Spain, America, Sweden, Finland, Greece, Australia, and, of course, Great Britain.

You're expected to cope with all weather conditions (unlike their Formula One/Champ car cousins these drivers don't hang up their helmet if it's raining or, God forbid, snowing) and all kinds of surface from tarmac to traditional dirt track.

In championship mode if you put a wheel wrong and retire the car there's no second chance - you're out and no championship points are to be had.

This is a game that demands total commitment. I found myself concentrating like no other PC racing game. You really do have to pay attention when co-driver Grist is shouting instructions in your ear.

Is it any good? You bet.

Gamers who don't like cars will find Colin McRae a huge turn off. Petrol-heads, on the other hand, will lose weeks of their life to this title.

BloodRayne. Publisher: Vivendi Universal. Format: PS2 and PC CD ROM. Price: from £24.99.

THIS game brings to mind one of the most successful third-person adventures of the past couple of years. It looks and plays like Max Payne, albeit in a gothic setting and with fangs.

Instead of Max you take the role of Rayne a half-human half-vampire anti-heroine who is looking for her father. She now works for the Brimstone Society, an underworld (and other world) group which tracks supernatural threats, snuffing them out before we mere mortals realise what's happening.

Rayne has her work cut out. The game gives her several hazardous missions to complete, particularly against a group of Nazi agents intent on raising the dead.

Your character has all the usual adventuring powers. She can run, jump, spin round and shoot. As befits a supernatural character she also has night vision and the ability to see through things.

As BloodRayne is a Max Payne-alike you'd be correct in guessing that it is possible to slow time down to carry out difficult moves with greater precision.

Unfortunately this ability isn't time limited (as in Max) so you tend to use it a lot. This makes overcoming some of the tougher bosses rather too easy.

Still, BloodRayne is a stylish addition to the burgeoning third person adventure genre on both major platforms. And yes, you'd be correct to think the ending leaves things wide open for a sequel.

Published: 23/05/2003