Brace yourself for the impact

IT'S NEARLY Christmas and the shelves of electrical stores are positively groaning with driving sims. Unfortunately, for every Gran Turismo, there are dozens of Carmageddons. At least Rally Trophy tries to be a little bit different.

Having wrung just about every last drop out of virtually every car still in production, games designers casting about for something different have opted for a nostalgic rally sim.

Every motorsport fan will tell you that the golden age of rally driving was the late Sixties and early Seventies. No four-wheel drive in those days. Competitors like Roger Clarke and John Cooper had to drive Cortinas, Minis and Escorts.

Rally Trophy serves up the full range of ancient motors for your delight. There are 11 altogether, ranging from the nimble but slow Mini Cooper 1275S, via the fast but unwieldy Lotus Cortina, to the sublime Lancia Stratos.

The late Seventies were also the era of the "Flying Finns", a new breed of rally champions who perfected the art of controlled slides which made them virtually unbeatable on icy special stages. So it's no surprise JoWooD Productions has turned to a Finnish outfit to produce Rally Trophy.

Bugbear Entertainment have crafted a state-of-the-art 3-D game engine to replicate the sometimes wayward handling of cars like the Escort Mk 1 RS2000. An accurate physics model means your chariot doesn't just "pop" back on the track if you leave the road - it hurtles realistically through trees and down ravines until it comes to a (crumpled) rest. The first time this happens, you'll be covering your eyes and bracing for impact.

Rally Trophy is no arcade racer. At first, simply making it to the finish of a special stage is an achievement in itself. The realism extends to body damage. Windows shatter, body panels deform and detach, suspension breaks and, worst of all, the gearbox blows, leaving your car with a box full of neutrals (usually within sight of the finish line).

Rally Trophy is a refreshing take on a genre that's rapidly approaching saturation point. And, provided you have a sufficiently turbocharged PC, it looks as good as it plays.

Console fans will be waiting for the X Box version with bated breath.

Shenmue II. Format: DC GD-ROM. Publisher: Sega. Price: £29.99

DREAMCAST may be well into its twilight years, but you can still pick up some sensational software for Sega's little off-white box. Shenmue will go down as one of the best games on the system. The sequel is available now and it's a fitting swan-song for a criminally under-appreciated system.

Set in Hong Kong during the final days of British rule, Shenmue II attempts to answer the criticism levelled at the first instalment by speeding up the action and cutting out the wandering about waiting for night to fall or day to break.

It's still something of an acquired taste. The PlayStation generation will soon tire of the sedate pace and the plot is sometimes too clever for its own good. But the graphics remain cutting edge, standing comparison with anything you'll see on the PS2 this Christmas, and the gameplay starts slowly but soon draws you in. Gamers prepared to invest a bit of time and effort will find Shenmue II the perfect way to pass time this Yuletide.

Operation Flashpoint Gold. Format: PC CD-ROM. Publisher: Codemasters. Price: £34.99.

OPERATION Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis is now available in a special gold edition for gamers who missed this stylish strategy shoot 'em up first time around.

As well as the original game, the pack includes the Red hammer - Soviet upgarde disk and a strategy game. Fine value from Codemasters.

ONE of the first games to really push the PS2 - and the console's first sleeper hit - has gained an equally impressive sequel. SSX Tricky is a snowboarding game that runs at a tremendous lick. There are several new additions for the sequel and the control system has been overhauled. Controlling your boarder is now easier - SSX Tricky has the same pick up and play intuitiveness as Nintendo's seminal 1080 Snowboarding title - but many of the courses are devilishly tough. Cracking them all will take time.

It's rare indeed for a sequel to be as rewarding or fun to play as the original. SSX Tricky is that unusual article.

CHEAT OF THE WEEK

Metal Gear Solid is a PlayStation classic. To win infinate ammunition, don't give up during the torture sequence. Then, when you finish the game and restart, you will have a bandanna that's always well stocked.