TOCA 2 (PlayStation)

Unless you only recently arrived on planet PlayStation you will have heard of TOCA. Basically it involves you driving insanely fast 2.0L saloon cars round real life tracks. The atmosphere is that of a simulation racer, so you tend to crash lots. The sequel gives more of the same.

If you like a game to be hard as nails, to reward practice and to punish the unworthy then you've come to the right place. TOCA 2 improves on the original in most respects. After the ubiquitous Gran Turismo a game in which the driving physics aren't up to scratch just isn't going to make the grade. Luckily for TOCA 2 the driving is spot on. Play it with a good wheel and you'd swear you could feel the traction.

It also looks the business and there are a number of graphical tweaks that really make the difference, eg. the way each driver's name appears on their car (including your own). The racing is as close to the real thing as possible and you need to develop good race craft rather than just barging through, as the other drivers do hold a grudge and defend their leads quite strenuously.

Unlike most driving games you really do have to understand things like braking, smooth steering, racing lines, car handling and so on. The cars are much more unforgiving than in Gran Turismo and you will break them. If you don't want to have to spend hours getting good before winning races, forget it.

The game might be a bit too inaccessible for some. Practice makes perfect, and there's enough here to reward the patient for ages.

93%

Dave Gibson