Games

Having already sewn up its domination of the serious simulation side of the racing genre with its Formula One games, Codemasters now sets about doing the same for the arcade-style racer with this long-awaited sequel to 2008's Race Driver: Grid.

While other developers look for ways to squeeze genuine social network functions into their titles, Codemasters simply uses the whole concept of social media as the backbone for Grid 2's single-player mode. The more you race and the better you do, the more fans you get online. This acts like a currency opening up more races for you to compete in, while simultaneously attracting the attention of sponsors and car manufacturers.

Of course, all of this is pretty ancillary to what really matters – how Grid 2 plays. The good news is that it handles like a dream. The vehicle models and controls feel absolutely perfect, reacting instantly to every move you make, while plenty of effort has also been put into the A.I. opposition, making them a joy to race against. It's also doesn't hurt that Grid 2 is one of the best-looking racers of this generation, thanks to its array of almost photorealistic cars and environments – not that you'll necessarily notice the latter outside of crashes, due to the astonishing speeds the game has you travelling at. Superb.

Grid 2, Codemasters, Xbox 360/PS3/PC, £40 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 5/5