F1 2002 (EA Sports, PC, All ages)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Another year, another F1 upgrade. If you are into motorsport and don't own F1 2001, this is a must-have.

If you do own last year's version, you may well find the improvements don't justify spending another $100 or so.

There's no doubting the quality of EA's F1 series. The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is a realistic simulation of Formula One driving, or at least as close as you can get on a computer to driving a 800hp wisp of carbon-fibre and space-age alloy.

F1 2001 was a special game visually. This year's version may be a fraction better looking, but it's marginal.

The gameplay, too, is much the same, although of course you do get this year's drivers and teams, including new arrivals Toyota and Renault.

The season follows the actual F1 calendar, starting in Melbourne and ending in Japan.

At stake is the Driver's Championship for top individual, and Constructor's Cup for top team.

One subtle change is that a lot of the non-core elements have been sacrificed.

A couple of arcade-style racing modes have gone, and the need to pass a sort of driving test before you're allowed to race has been scrapped.

There are still a series of training exercises, though, and these are useful for honing your skills.

Jump straight into a race and you'll soon get frustrated by the difficulty of controlling one of these machines.

A twitch on the accelerator will send you spinning off course and panic stab on the brakes will mean a skid into the nearest solid object.

But that's part of the fun. Master the game and you know that, just possibly, you might be championship material.

peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz