MERCEDES BENZ: WORLD RACING Publisher: TDK Interactive, Format: Xbo, Price: £44.99

A RACING game featuring Mercedes Benz cars? Don't they make luxury limos that wallow like a hippo stuck in the mud? What next, a simulation featuring a face-off between the Lada Niva, an FSO Polonez and a Skoda Estelle?

Mercedes may be best known for its executive luxury cars but the Germany manufacturer has a golden racing pedigree.

In the 1930s the Mercedes racing team - known as the silver arrows because its cars were all one colour - dominated the early days of the Grand Prix World Championship.

The team returned again to sweep aside all rivals at Le Mans in the late 1980s.

And only last weekend Scot David Coulthard triumphed in the Australian Grand Prix in a McLaren powered by a Mercedes engine. So don't snigger at the idea of a Merc-powered racing game.

What we have here is an Xbox powered drive through the history of high performance Mercs - an incredible 110 fender-bending Benzes with realistic handling and genuine collision damage effects (which gives the game one over PS2's seminal Gran Turismo title).

Synetic - the German team responsible for the game - have also thrown in an arcade mode with more forgiving handling for would-be Schumachers who only fancy a quick blast.

It certainly looks terrific. The circuits are meticulously modelled and the cars themselves are almost photo-realistic.

This game reminded me of an early Need For Speed title. Whereas the original NFS was a fun simulation, later versions have given up striving for realism in favour of arcade police chases and over the top crash sequences.

The circuits in World Racing are massive - I think the Alp track is 20km in length - which makes for a real challenge. Games based on real motor racing circuits make it possible to learn the way round even after a few short laps. Believe me, you'll have to spend hours before you are familiar with this game.

World Racing also includes a multi-player mode but, sadly, no on-line racing option.

THRUSTMASTER 360 MODENA FORCE GT STEERING WHEEL, Platform: Xbox, Price: £59.99

Of course the best way to enjoy a serious racing game like Mercedes Benz: World Racing is with a steering wheel.

You may feel a bit daft sitting with a plastic wheel on your knee, but a good peripheral adds an extra degree of realism and control.

The new Thrustmaster Force GT Steering Wheel bears the famous Ferrari logo so it has a pretty big reputation to uphold. It's also the first wheel to boast force feedback on the Xbox.

It also looks like a pukka steering wheel. That's because it is an exact replica of the Momo wheel to be found in the cockpit of the Ferrari 360 Modena (pictured above).

The force feedback mechanism works well. All Xbox games boast a feedback feature but, until now, racing enthusiasts have been denied the kickback you get when using a feedback wheel with a driving game. Now you don't just hear the engine, you feel the way the suspension works and your tyres biting into the asphalt.

Cyber drivers who don't like the feature can turn it down or even turn it off. The various buttons can also be remapped according to personal preference.

Thrustmaster reckons this wheel can be used without a table top thanks to a system that allows the base to be placed on your knees. This places the wheel a bit too close for comfort but it saves having to rearrange your front room every time you feel the need for speed.

Published: 14/03/2003