Dom Robinson reviews
Microsoft
- Price: £44.99
- Players: 1-4
RalliSport Challenge. It’s a rally racing game.It’s a sport. And it might be a challenge to get £45’s worth of enjoymentout of this game. However, it wasn’t always the case because a few short yearsago we saw a brilliant racing game on the Playstation in the form of V-Rally.Yes, the control system was a bit difficult but you got to grips with thingseventually, but four years or so on and you need a bit more than the basicsto sustain your interest.
Getting the rest of the basics out of the way and this is a game for up to fourplayers, the multiplayer aspect being handled in a split-screen format. Talkingfigures, there are 48 tracks split across four different rally sports (Rally,Hill Climb, Rallycross and Ice Racing), plus you can drive 29 fully-licencedRally vehicles including the infamous “Group B” cars, with choices includingthe Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI, Audi Quattro S1 and the Saab 0-3 Viggen,whatever that is.
Play a single race, race against the clock in the “Time Attack” mode, playagainst your friends instead of just playing with yourself, or make a “Career”out of it. You know the drill.

A number of forgettable dancified tracks are available for selection, althoughin most such games I tend to turn these down so I can concentrate on the gamein hand. One crash is very much like another and you can guess the sounds forthose.
The handling of the cars takes a bit of getting used to – a la V-Rally -and you get told what type of bend is coming up, but what is weird is thatwhether you’re driving over sand or ice, the grip on your tyres is indistinguishable,which means the weather is just there for visual effect and not physical.

If you really must have a rally racing game in your collection for the Xbox thenI’m sure better ones will come along. Until then, if you’re keen to take thisone for a test drive then rent before you buy.
SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC
PLAYABILITY
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.