Ladies and Gentlemen: you may bow before the great Colin McRae, the king of the rally simulations. In fact there's really no need for introduction. But for those of you that don't know, or haven't played the 2005 version also available to download on this site; know that Colin McRae means quality, quality and trees.
Obviously the first thing that you'll spot when you start up DiRT is it's exceptional looks. Not only do the cars and environments look photo-realistic (in the replays you'll be pressed to tell the difference), but they get nice and DiRTy and the damage modelling is excellent. You'll definitely notice the excellent damage modelling when you get too close to those trees; basically everything can come off the car. Of course all of that changes how the cars (and trucks, and buggys) handle, so that tree after the next jump is all that much tougher to avoid. But that is the challenge. The damage modelling isn't just on the cars either; even the barriers and tyre-walls will be changed after your passing.
Next up you'll see the amazing driving sensation and realism. Snow feels like snow, sand feels like sand, and believe us when we tell you that you'll feel the change when you switch from one to the other. Wet tarmac comes as a particular surprise, but maybe not to the trees on the side of the road.
DiRT offers a lot of game. First of all you've got the career; which'll take you up a pyramid of different racing styles and cars, wining money on the way to buy new cars and paint-jobs. Then there's the championship; a full of rally championship to race through in whatever class you'd like; even the British Rally is there. Or there's the instant action letting you take on virtually any style. And if the excellent, and highly competitive, AI isn't enough for you, you can take Colin online in races for up to 100 players (!).
In short it's the best there is in off-road racing, though you'd be better off taking your PC for a little pit-stop before playing to update to the latest version of DirectX and update your graphics drivers.

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