As the masters of the 'beautiful game' you'd expect any title from EA to be good-looking. The question is, is the book as good as its cover?
Catherine Channon

Having already gained a huge fan base from its PC version, high hopes were held for Rally Championship's PlayStation counterpart, and with both Colin McRae and V-Rally 2 both so well established, EA were bound to have their work cut out. On the surface, it looks as though developers HotGen have considered this and spent time thinking about what rally gamers really want. Two championships, an Arcade Mode, Time Trial and a great split-screen, two-player mode are surely enough to keep any budding Burns amused.

The tracks are longer than you'd expect to find on any other console game, something that will also appeal to the fanatic, although the more casual player is likely to find them a little excessive, preferring the shorter, punchier stages found in its competitors. Graphically, it looks as flash as the licence it carries - every one of the 36 stages from six UK rallies has been reproduced to perfection. Graphic information is constantly being streamed into the game as you play, enabling it to produce dynamic and ludicrously lifelike scenery. The forest levels are particularly good, as is the game's in-car view that features an accurately modelled driver responding to your slightest change in direction.

This attention to detail can also be found in the game's sim aspects. The garage contains 21 cars, all solidly recreated and each with their own individual driving styles and characteristics. At the start of each stage you'll be given a full rundown of the race ahead, of which you need to play close attention because you'll need to base your car set-up on its content. Ignore it at your peril, because trying to drive across icy terrain or through waterlogged woodland in dry weather tyres is an instant recipe for disaster.