If there is one genre that has been well catered for since time began, it’s racing.

And if Gran Turismo flies the flag – nowadays certainly in terms of graphics – then, with the release of Formula 1 2010, it has some serious competition.

F1 racing games in particular have long followed a certain style.

High on gloss, a spot of razzmatazz and with broadcast presentation, they’ve both amazed and frustrated, sometimes too concerned with non-racing incidentals.

Codemasters have done a sterling job here, expertly making their new game a spectacular looking offering that is equally attractive to a casual or hardcore audience.

The idea here is that the gamer “lives the life” of a F1 racing driver but the game is not just about enjoying the glamourous side of racing.

To concentrate on that would be a major injustice.

It’s a faithful reproduction of what you’d expect as a real F1 driver.

You have to go through practice and qualifying sessions in career mode and they have real consequences that makes them all the more important.

Every second counts and there are numerous “tricks” to employ which draw on every ounce of strategy as well as taking into account good and bad weekends and even the need to warm the engine in order to edge yourself forward.

All the while you’re looking not so much to win races but prestige.

You want to earn the right to stay ahead of the pack and be the best and it’s frightening as well as exhilerating because you feel there is much riding on you. Overall rating 5/5