Aeons ago, lost in the distant mists of yore, a humble tribesman whittled into shape something that we today know as the wheel. Little could he comprehend the usage of such a simple instrument as being the founding father of all the extreme racing events that take place in this modern era. The concept of attaching four wheels to a tree trunk and careering down a hill probably wasn't highest on the priority list back then, but the joys of Formula One, dirtbike trials, 4x4 events and not least rallying, now attract millions of eager fans. Indeed, just imagine what life would be like without Colin McRae Rally to idle away those long weekends.

The legend that was the original CMR was a storming success everywhere and I must confess probably one of the reasons why my GCSE grades were not too fantastic. CMR2 then came along and added better graphics and physics onto an already sublime foundation to emerge as the number one rallying title of all formats. Now, CMR3 makes its belated arrival, stumbling into the PC limelight eventually after having already been released to the console market many moons ago. If the trend continues, this third title should be a work of genius; an all-accomplishing blend of fantasticality, revolutionising the racing genre and crushing the opposition with its streamlined big toe. My hopes were sky-high, shadows of foreboding nowhere in sight as I gingerly stepped into the shoes of Colin McRae for a test drive.

You'll have to excuse the frequent comparisons to CMR 1 and 2, but this is necessary in order to ascertain the improvements upon the existing titles in the series. One of the first things you notice upon starting the game is that the great arcade mode featured in CMR2 has been dropped. Arcade mode let you race up to 5 other AI cars or one human opponent physically on the track, making for a much more enjoyable way to have a small dose of Colin and allowing for an entirely different experience than the usual solitary rallying. CMR3 only has the options to play either a championship as Colin or to start a single stage for practice. The championship route is extremely limited, as it will only let you play as McRae himself, which unfortunately means that you can only drive a Ford Focus. In this sudden leap to adhere to real-life situations (now ironically out of date anyway, as Colin has left Ford), CMR3 disregards the multitude of players who favour other cars such as the Mitsubushi Lancer Evo or the Subaru Impreza. Further narrowing the options is the restriction to one-player championships, whereas CMR2 generously allowed two players to compete simultaneously.

As you progress through the championship, further changes will come to your attention. The 3D animated pit crews give a little more life to the service areas and native race marshals will see you off at the beginning of every race. Before you start the actual rally though, you have something called shakedown day, which lets you make as many adjustments as you like upon your car and excellently lets you try out your configuration on a short course, even presenting you with the performance of each set up on a graph for your perusal. Damage is no longer repaired by yourself, but is done automatically at each service area, although it rarely manages to fix your car fully, even when your damage is negligible. Winning rallies, or just getting a podium position will unlock further motoring goodies, such as new car parts and sometimes even new cars themselves. This rewards good progress and gives incentive to perform well on each stage, also adding replay value for those who want to unlock all the available extras.

Single stage races are the only option that has multiplayer support. The available tracks are gradually unlocked as you complete each stage in the championship and are then available to practice on at your leisure. One of the improvements upon its predecessor is CMR3's commendable addition of split screen options for up to four players simultaneously. Unfortunately, the game is still insistent on staying true to rallying life and won't let you actually race against the other players on the same track, with each player racing on identical but separate versions of the track simultaneously. Playing against three mates is great fun though, allowing frantic competitions as you try to race well whilst jostling for a position around the monitor.

I tried all the major racing games as a youth; TOCA, various F1 games, Gran Turismo, Nascar, Destruction Derby, the Need for Speed series, the Test Drive series. But out of all racing games Colin McRae was always my favourite, purely for the exquisitely honed handling. Once you mastered the feel of your car and uncovered its limitations and capabilities, you could manoeuvre it as though it were a third arm. You felt entirely in control. Codemasters has retained the same control system, but has severely increased the sensitivity of the steering. Rather than giving you more precise control of your car though, this makes your driving a lot more inaccurate. Just small taps on the controller can send you careering wildly from one side of the road to the other. This can still be controlled with a fair bit of practice but just lacks that perfect edge that gave such sublime driving confidence in the previous two titles. You really need a steering wheel to make the most of CMR3's handling, as the keyboard and game pad are just a little too twitchy for enjoyment.

The environments you race in are now far more detailed and realistic than the comparatively constrictive tracks of the previous CMRs. You are not so often confined by the impenetrable wall of trees or unsurpassable fences but are let loose to roam in more open areas. This freedom comes at the price of automatic resetting as soon as you stray too far into the wilds. The areas you zip through at high speeds are not only minutely detailed but also often animated. At one point, for instance, you will pass over a motorway. Pausing on the bridge briefly and glancing at the road beneath will reveal cars and lorries whizzing by in a constant stream, barely noticeable while racing. Keep an eye out in Sweden for skidoo drivers racing around at the side of the roads. Another time a helicopter will follow you around the course for a bit. Peer into a farmyard as you drive past and notice a tractor parked there. Take a look as you pass through a populated area and admire all those quaint houses and buildings lined up in streets, just like a real town. This loving attention to all the minutiae and incidental detail for just an ephemeral glimpse as you power past is quite fantastic and adds a lot to the atmosphere. The illusion of racing in real locations is much more tangible than before.

In a rather welcome move, indestructible marking tape and plastic fences that plagued the first two titles have now had physics coding applied to them, so they can be torn apart by your front bumper with ease. Other objects that litter the roadside have also been given movable physics, so you will find that a high speed collision with an advertising board or a bale of hay won't stop you dead but the object will give way under pressure. Bushes and trees once again abide by the same rule of thumb as before; big ones stop you, little ones don't.

As usual, the main PC change from its console counterparts is the vastly improved graphics. The nicest touches are on the cars themselves, showing off all the latest clever visual wizardry such as reflection and refraction, that mean a little less than nothing to most of us. But the results are fantastic; a gaping difference from the heavily limited console versions. Your shining bodywork and gleaming windows reflect the passing scenery, lighting and shadows with hitherto unsurpassed realism in a racing game. Your car is, of course, destructible and it will fall to pieces beautifully as you start to smash it up. The trees too warrant a second glance. Trees are renowned as being one of the hardest things to digitally recreate in games but CMR3 manages to achieve remarkable verisimilitude with one of the best tree efforts since Ghost Recon. There are really no graphical letdowns or glitches throughout the entire game; everything is prim, proper and very impressive.

There are still a few niggles that eat away at CMR3's score though. Firstly, the fact that there are only three viewing angles to race with. My favoured view of having the camera further away from the car than usual has been abolished for no apparent reason, leaving only one outside view that I personally feel is too close behind the car. Many people will be more than happy with the available views but for the perfect racing experience racers need a view that suits them, or at least a dynamic option to adjust the view. Another slight glitch is the tendency toward inconsistency. Most tracks in a country boast the exact same identikit replica advertising hoardings, however in one race they will be movable then in the next they will be as solid as rock. This is clearly not intentional but it is rather frustrating when you drive into an object that you smashed through in the previous race that now stops you dead. The final criticism I have is the total absence of any control over your visual driving aids. The rev counter, race positions, speedometer and all the other usual gubbins cluttering up the screen could all be turned off in CMR2, allowing better vision of the track ahead. Now though, the only option you can alter concerning these is to turn the corner warnings off, the rest is perpetually glued to your screen whether you like it or not. This is compounded even further in split screen views as you can barely see the track half the time for all the instruments encircling your car.

Although I have focused on negative areas of Colin McRae Rally 3, these are mainly comparisons to its predecessors and how it falls short in following their footsteps. Despite this, CMR3 is a damn fine game in its own right and will afford any racing fan a satisfying experience. This is certainly a must have for all Colin fans but if you haven't tried any of the series yet go and buy the second one instead.

Reviewed by Adam Shirley for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).