Gran Turismo 2 (PSX)

To understand the appeal of this game, you simply have to look at the screenshots on the back of the box. Hard-tuned production cars. Race-spec super cars. Rally cars plastered in stickers. 70s American muscle cars. Street circuits. Racing tracks. Rally courses. Whatever type of racing you want to do, it's here. The scope of this game is so breathtaking I keep expecting to find a hidden motorbike option.

The format of the game hasn't changed from the first version and, once again, you are presented with two different modes to choose from. Arcade mode provides instant gratification, but the heart of the game is Gran Turismo mode. Here, the player takes the part of a novice driver; with your tiny amount of starting money, you have to buy a used car and start winning basic competitions. Over time, prize money can be spent on new cars and performance modifications, which then allow you access to harder and harder races, and so on. It is this open-ended format that makes it so addictive; the player is left to decide for themselves what cars and parts to buy, and what races to do.

So, what's different about this version? The number of tracks has doubled to over 25 and the number of events you can enter has exploded to hundreds but the most obvious change is in the car selection. GT1 had around 200 cars from mostly Japanese car makers. Not only does GT2 have over 600 cars to choose from, but just about every major European and American marque has been added, including Vauxhall, Rover, Mercedes, BMW, Ford, Fiat, Citroen, Peugeot, Dodge, Plymouth, and many more. Tragically, due to licencing problems with Electronic Arts, there are no Lamborghinis, no Porsches, and (sob) no Ferraris. The new rally mode adds variety, whilst the controversial licence tests from the first game have been simplified, making the game more accessible to novices.

Graphically, the game hasn't too changed much from the first one, which admittedly already pushed the Playstation pretty hard. The car detail is much improved, however; tiny details such as boot badges, bodywork seams and door handles are reproduced with stunning accuracy. This is the best we're likely to get until the PS2. The game also deserves to be complimented for its sound effects, with every car having an authentic engine note, from the whine of turbos to the whoosh of dump valves.

Unfortunately, the game isn't quite perfect. Apart from a few small niggles, and some nasty but unconfirmed rumours of bugs, its biggest problem is that it's not to everyone's taste. Sounds blindingly obvious, I know, but with GT2 it's a big factor. The combination of painstaking real-world physics, exhaustive detail and sheer size means it's not suitable for people who can't or won't devote hours and hours to mastering it. The rest of us, however, can get on enjoying the Next Big Thing in racing games… At least until Gran Turismo 2000 is released.