Criterion’s latest Burnout game is reckless driving at its carefree best, as road rage goes rewarded and pile-ups win prizes. Better still, those causing the most spectacular crash sequences get to drive the fastest cars. This is a game in which your vehicle is your weapon and everything on the road is a potential target.

This irreverent yet stylish affair follows the usual format, with only a few tracks and medium powered cars available at the outset. But steer like a maniac and cause the most mayhem in the early bad driving missions and a much more exotic line-up of cars and locations unfolds. The more carnage you can bring to the road, by swerving into oncoming traffic, and forcing them off the road, or targeting up to five AI or human opponents, the more booster power you earn. Well-timed jabs on the boost button ensure you stay at the heart of the metal-twisting action, just the right place to “take down” the opposition. The graphics are sublime — smooth and detailed even on the increasingly humble PS2, yet with enough gimmickry to make the replays delicious feasts.

The Burnout series is something of a rarity, as the developer Criterion was snapped up by EA in July, and is better known for providing other companies with the software to make games. The change of ownership should ensure that the series will continue with ever-glossier outings. For now, Burnout 3 remains an explosively over-the-top romp.

Tim Wapshott