Toca Race Driver 3 (PC)

TOCA Race Driver 3 by Codemasters is the sixth title in the TOCA series, beginning with the original Playstation release in 1997. The first Race Driver title changed the format from a single series racing game to a story driven blast through a number of racing disciplines ranging from Formula Ford to truck racing. This cast you in the role of the rather irritating newcomer, Ryan McKane and was considered by many fans of the first three games to be an unwelcome diversion from the more serious nature of the originals. Codemasters thought otherwise, and so the third episode finds us playing a character yet again but fortunately one that doesn't say anything - instead we have a well meaning and informative but mildly annoying team manager whose job it is to keep you up to date with in-race information and provide some background on many of the cars you'll drive.

TRD3 can be played in three modes - World Championship, Pro Career and Simulation. The World Championship is where you access the story route through the game and progress by completing one race from each of 32 tiers, and the other two modes provide access to the races and vehicles unlocked in the World Championship. Pro Career provides a number of race series based around specific vehicle types, and Simulation allows you to take out any car you've unlocked for a race or free practice on the circuits where that vehicle type would normally be found. Your career starts at grass roots level in the Renault Clio Cup where your manager provides a gentle introduction to racing technique, offering grudging praise when you succeed and huge doses of vitriol when things go slightly pear shaped. Fortunately you can re-enter any series that doesn't go entirely to plan and so your path through the game is determined purely by your increasing skill level. At each tier you'll generally be offered up to three different race types so you can progress by competing in vehicles that best suit your driving style, and with vehicles as diverse as monster trucks, classic group B rally cars and baja buggies you should find something to suit your tastes.

TRD3 is an unusual game in that it sits firmly between the demanding realism of hardcore simulations such as GT Legends and Richard Burns Rally, and the arcade style handling of World Racing and Trackmania Sunrise. You can tinker with your car to an extremely fine degree, but the physics model isn't quite up to making the effect of all of those changes apparent. If you switch on pro handling mode from the options menu the level of realism steps up a gear, but you really do need a good steering wheel (preferably with force feedback, which we'll come to later on) and knowledge of real world driving techniques to make the best of it.

The strange balance between realism and accessibility continues with the damage model which will gladly break chunks from your Lotus 49 classic in a mild collision, but allows a supertruck to continue merrily around the track after a head on collision with a wall. Damage does affect your car's handling, but not in the smooth stages you'd expect - you can see your tyres wearing, for example, but at one point in their lifespan they will suddenly start to slip more than they did a few seconds before as they cross a grip threshold of some sort. Some of the tracks are oddly formed too, with Oulton Park resembling a rollercoaster more than a racetrack, and Mount Panorama at Bathurst being ridiculously narrow and kinked - this is currently the subject of much criticism among the more serious gamers. Unless you're a serious racing fan you probably won't notice the difference, although you may wonder why you suddenly lose grip and spin for no apparent reason as you bounce over an almost invisible bump that really shouldn't be there at all.

The biggest bone of contention among players is the penalty system, which attempts to cut down on cheating, corner cutting and aggressive driving but often ends up penalising the player for events either caused by the AI drivers or that were completely unavoidable. Slipping a wheel off the outside of many of the tracks will earn you a caution or a timed penalty, when this is perfectly acceptable (and sometimes even essential) in real life. The reason given is that you attempted to gain advantage buy driving off the road, but many of these situations are brought about by an A.I. driver shunting you onto the grass without penalty (you try doing that to them and see what happens..) or by you misjudging your speed and running wide, a situation which generally costs you time rather than gains advantage. The A.I. cars will often brake mid-corner for no obvious reason, bringing about a rear end shunt that earns you a timed penalty, or will hit you from behind on the straights and barge you off the track, effectively ending any chance of a podium finish. A patch is apparently in the works to fix these issues but has yet to materialise - one version was released, but withdrawn almost immediately afterwards with no explanation.

All of this sounds hopelessly negative so far - is there anything to actually recommend this game? Lots, as it happens…

The diverse range of events and vehicles definitely gives this the edge over much of the opposition. When you race vastly differing vehicles in consecutive events you gain a real appreciation of the depth of different motor sport disciplines – the techniques needed to coax a 1980s Williams F1 car around a paper smooth world class circuit are of little or no use when you take out a 4WD Mitsubishi Evo on a dirt track, forcing you to learn the characteristics of every type of vehicle individually. The racing is always tight and competitive (sometimes painfully so) and the selectable A.I. intelligence level in the Pro Career and Simulation modes ensure that you’ll never be short of a challenge. It’s graphically acceptable albeit with relatively basic vehicle models and, assuming you have a decent enough PC, will storm along even with a full pack of 19 other cars swarming around your ears. The engine sounds can grate after a while but the 3d positioning with a good soundcard is superb and allows you to pinpoint the location of the other cars without having to look. It also conveys all of the painful grinds and crunches as your car starts to disintegrate – the ‘missing teeth in the gearbox’ sound is particularly sickening, as are the splutters and backfires when your exhaust system has taken a pounding. If you’re fortunate enough to own a good force feedback steering wheel, the game comes alive and gives a completely convincing representation of what’s happening under the wheels – cars will twist and squirm under full throttle, the wheel will become sickeningly light when you start to lose grip or hit a loose surface, and deflating tyres or damaged axles will be rewarded with a very worrying judder. Racing ten laps in a TVR around Silverstone with full force feedback will most likely leave your shoulders feeling like you’ve spent the last three days hanging from a tree but it’s all part of the experience.

I’d recommend TRD3 to any petrolheads out there who are prepared to overlook the minor irritations and revel in the depth and variety of the gameplay. If the promised patch surfaces it may even be worth people who aren’t normally attracted to racing games taking it out for a spin.