V8 Challenge (EA Sports, PC All ages)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * )

Australia is the home of V8 racing and not surprisingly EA's latest car racer has a strong down under theme.
The star attraction is a highly detailed Bathurst track and its accuracy impressed a friend who has driven around it.

This alone is enough to make aspiring petrolheads part with their pennies, but the quality of the other three Australian tracks at Adelaide, Queensland and Sandown is also excellent.

The other circuits come as a surprise, with Nordic-sounding names such as Knutstorp and Gellerasen.

That's because V8 Challenge is based on Swedish Touring Car Championship, and those tracks are featured in that game.

It's the same sort of philosophy that saw Brian Lara's Cricket released as Shane Warne's Cricket for the Australasian market.

Our country, our culture, our cars, if you like. And it's good to be able to drive the sort of cars you see whizzing past you on the Harbour Bridge each day.
The racing versions have six-figure modifications, of course, and V8 Challenge has enough tinkering tools to keep most virtual mechanics happy.

You can choose the height of the car, adjust toeing, camber, suspension, brakes and gears.

All this affects the way your car handles on the different tracks and in different conditions.
The graphics are excellent and at a casual glance it looks just like TV coverage of the race.

Sound, too, is good and the throaty rumble of the V8s becomes a high-pitched scream as you change down to take a tight bend.

It's a great game if you follow V8 racing, but the limited choice of car - Holden Commodore or Ford Falcon Ñ may put off those who prefer Formula One-style games.
But you do get to choose between saloons and utes. Could be that's why V8 Challenge is being released only in Australia and New Zealand?

peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz