The Colin McRae Rally series prides itself on providing the most realistic rally simulation available, but does that translate to a great gaming experience? The answer is a resounding yes.

I must admit that I haven't played the first two games in this series, so I can't provide any basis for comparison, other than from watching the real thing. The presentation is some of the most stylised and professional I've seen, all of the menus and loading screens look excellent and the options for changing your car setup are accompanied by impressive 3D images of the car and its machinery. You don't have much choice but to get on with the Championship when you begin, as only the tracks you've completed in Championship mode are available for the Single race mode, which includes multiplayer races. We get to see the speedy work of the mechanics on your car and the buzz of excitement around the track before the race starts. You begin ranked the lowest of 16 and must work your way up to reach the top. This is done over a series of six rallies around the world, each spanning two days and seven stages, making for plenty of variety in location. Before each rally begins, you can tinker with the setup of the car and then perform a brief test drive. However, until you've got the hang of the controls just leave the car alone and concentrate on learning to drive.

You drive up to the starting line, the driver and co-driver clearly visible within the gleaming and intricately detailed car. The countdown begins and then you're off. There are three views available; above the car, driver's view and bonnet view. I found the above car view easiest to begin with as you can see what effect the use of the brakes and handbrake has on the whole car, how much it slides and spins at different speeds when turning sharply. From the driver's view you see through the windscreen and the screen shakes about as the car drives over bumps on the track - it is by far the most realistic view to use and creates a great feeling of speed and danger.

The quality of the graphics is a mixed bag, which is a shame. There is great attention to detail on some aspects, such as the car and weather effects, but others like the scenery appear almost unfinished. The trees look very 3D, with each one scrolling past at the speed related to its distance from the car, but there are a lot of flat 2D images used to create barriers and they can often be seen. Also, the tree leaves look quite grainy, spoiling the realism somewhat. The skies are excellent, the orange sky in the evening with the low sun shining in your eyes feels right and the overcast sky where things get a little darker is the best I have seen in a racing game. The weather effects are totally outstanding - not only does the light reflect perfectly on the road but the way the rain and snow pours down is very convincing. Even better, from the driver's view you can see the windscreen wipers swishing back and forth and see all of the raindrops hitting the windscreen. With the snow, it builds up at the edges of the windscreen looking absolutely real as incredibly realistic flakes silently splatter over the windscreen. You can even hear the windscreen wiper motors and the drumming of the rain on your roof.

Such superb touches as these are spoiled by the lack of detail elsewhere, particularly the lack of variety on each trackside. Also, the crowds are very lame, most being lifeless 2D cutouts that you can actually see are 2D! Finally, there is some scenery building in the distance, which is inexcusable on Xbox and the amount on the Super Special Stage in Australia is unbelievable. You will watch in amazement as not only the trees in the distance build themselves, but also the fences and scenery including the stands and audience! There is a bit of glitching on the views of the car at the end of the race too - such things should have been dealt with before this game was released and is a little lazy. It's obvious that little, if anything, has been done to enhance the PS2 version and it is graphically inferior to the Xbox launch title Rallisport Challenge. I'm afraid I'm docking a mark for that - I'm beginning to get fed up with PS2 quality graphics on next-gen consoles.

The sound is pretty realistic, with the engine, screeching tyres and firing boost. The sound of collisions with rocks and trees is very solid too and the instructions given by your co-driver are clearly spoken and easy to understand. There is no in-game music, which is fine if you want it totally realistic, but an option to have some tunes would have been nice.

The handling of the car is quite sensitive and it takes some getting used to at first, but after a few stages you begin to get the hang of how to combine the acceleration, brakes and handbrake for best results. The impact of the track surface is very noticeable, it is difficult to gain speed on grass and the car sticks to the tarmac a lot better than it handles on dirt or gravel. Also, once you start tinkering with the car (options to modify the gears, brakes, chassis, engine, steering, suspension and tyres are available) you will notice a marked difference in the handling too. You unlock various new cars and options for your own car setup as you progress through the rallies, improving the car's performance in certain conditions. At first though, it feels a little loose as though the car is barely in contact with the track, I'm not sure if that's realistic or not but it doesn't feel quite right. Still, once you are used to it, making it through a stage without crashing and whilst beating the best times is highly satisfying and requires considerable skill.

There are various checkpoints that you pass along the stage where you can see if you are ahead or behind the current best time. Also, at the start of each stage other than the first one, you get to see the level of damage for the various crucial parts of the car such as wheels, axels, suspension and brakes. If the damage is high it becomes more difficult to control and you might not make it to the end. At the end of each day, your team works to repair the damage, but if there is a lot then they won't have time to repair everything. At the end of each race, you can watch a replay, which is viewed from fixed points where the camera zooms in and keeps on your car as it speeds past - giving a very authentic feel to the action. The scenery looks even more realistic in these replays. The Multiplayer split-screen mode is a waste of time, there is so much scenery building going on that it's distracting and unrealistic. Best choose the take it in turns option and study your opponents' form carefully.

Overall, Colin McRae Rally 3 is a classy simulation of the rally experience. It has excellent presentation but is let down in places by the graphics. However the range of courses, cars and setup options more than makes up for this and most importantly it's a highly realistic, compelling and playable gaming experience.

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).