Here is the lowdown: Colin McRae DiRT is the one racing game that offers thrills and spills along with lots of bumps and humps.

It steers clear of the city streets of other pick-up-and-go racers like Project Gotham Racing and Ridge Racer for the Xbox 360 and opts for a truly off-the beaten-track approach.

While there is a healthy mix of races with up to nine other vehicles, the games core offering is the lonely sport of rally racing - you are the single car attempting to score the best time while driving a challenging road, with a helpful 'co- driver' to provide directional guides.

How challenging are things? Very.

A vast array of mountain slopes, forest tracks and desert ridges await with accident-inviting twist and turns to torment even the most hardened rally cars, SUVs and trucks.

It takes a skilled driver to make it through each track without hitting rocks, hurtling over fences, colliding with another car or diving down a treacherous slope.

There is a choice of five difficulty levels for every race ranging from the forgiving Rookie (ideal for L-Plate drivers taking their first driving test) to the devilish Pro (in which every competitor drives like a Singapore taxi driver late for his shift change).

Most average players who have had their spin at games like Project Gotham Racing should pick the middle-of- the-road difficulty level or Amateur.

Winning races nets you both money to buy better cars and brownie points that qualify you for tougher races to gear up the career ladder.

Car nuts will dig the ability to tune and set up every major vehicle part from the suspension to the wheels. That said, sticking to the default in- vehicle settings will not affect the driving unduly.

The game is one of the best demonstrations of next-generation high definition console graphics, with beautifully detailed scenery and drool-worthy car models so real you feel like scratching them with your car keys.