Xbox 360, PS3 £40; PC, DS £25. Age 7+

Four stars

After a two-year absence, the popular Toca racing series is back, albeit it with a new name. Race Driver: Grid expands on its traditional touring-car focus with the addition of street racing and drifting. The game whisks you through several real-world locations as you attempt to boost your reputation by winning races.

It certainly looks good and there are more 50 vehicles to try. Unlike many racing titles, damage is realistically portrayed, so your ride may well look battered after a hard-fought race – especially so as the computer-controlled cars are aggressive bordering on kamikaze. Success requires intuitive road handling and lightning reflexes, so a gamepad is a better bet than a steering wheel controller. If anything, the game is arguably too hard – even on the so-called “easy mode”, this experienced racer found it tough to compete.

Car customisation features are sadly lacking, beyond changing the paint job. That said, this is a fluid and enjoyable game that will keep your nose glued to the screen for hours. As racing games go, Race Driver is not in pole position, but it’s on emphatically the grid.