Forza Motorsport 2 [X360]

Forza lets you control the difficulty level for every race. You can toggle ABS, traction control, damage, tire wear and so on. When playing on harder settings, you'll receive an extra percentage bonus on your winnings. The bonus isn't huge, however, so you're free to pitch the game's difficulty at a level you feel comfortable. Turn on all the aids and stick to easy-to-handle cars and it's almost an arcade game. Grab an overpowered rear-wheel drive missile and push the realism to maximum level, and any driving sim fan will be in for a challenge.

Thanks to ever-improving console technology, we're really beyond the point where discussion of the realism of a driving sim like Forza is useful. By now, the art of making a virtual car move in a lifelike way seems to be pretty well understood, and Forza's cars convince completely -- much like the rest of the handful of realistic car games still around. One area Forza sets itself apart from the Gran Turismo series -- its main competitor -- is the way it makes you feel.

In Gran Turismo, there's a very narrow window in which you feel like you're driving right on the edge of available grip. Push it too far and you'll lose control dramatically. Go too slow and you feel like someone's granny. Forza, on the other hand, seems to create a much wider zone of excitement. Even if you're not constantly on the verge of losing control, it feels like you might be. Which is more realistic? No idea. But we know which one plays better.

It's much easier to judge the realism of Forza 2's computer controlled cars, and, on balance, it's impressive. They create an impression of genuine, fallible drivers without racing too clean, or turning the whole thing into a game of bumper cars. It pulls off the odd boneheaded move, and does occasionally suffer from one of the plagues of console racer AI, which is the tendency to slavishly protect its racing line while ignoring all other traffic. On balance, though, it's more than adequate.

It's worth breaking off here for a moment to discuss the Forza wheel. OK, it's not actually called that (it's called the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel instead), but it might as well be. It certainly makes a great difference to the Forza experience. You feel every little bump; every nuance of the racetrack. Lock the wheels under braking and you'll feel the front end go disconcertingly light. Hit the rough stuff and it'll fight you for control. Microsoft just trimmed $20 off the price tag, but it's still a costly offering. But take it from us -- it's worth every penny.