DTM Race Driver 3D

Racing simulators have progressively got better and better as every new title becomes available.

One particular new title that’s well worth having a closer look at is DTM Race Driver 3D. As the name suggests it’s a racing game where you can get behind the wheel of a high powered rally car and work your way from the back of the pack to cross the finishing line first.

Whether you want to have a ‘World Tour’, develop a ‘Pro Career’ or test your skills in a ‘Free Race’, then this will give you all the possible full-throttle action you could be looking for. Displayed in fantastic 3D quality graphics, you get to see the detail in not just your own vehicle but all the other cars on the circuit. Speaking of the tracks themselves, they are a brilliant mixture of hairpin turns, chicanes and long straights -where you can push the pedal to the metal and try to distance yourself from the others.

The controls are responsive and well poised. By using the d-pad, you can do all the acceleration and turns but for a little more control and to give you a bit more of a realistic feel, I’d suggest using the keypad instead. To turn left and right, you can use the 4 and 6 buttons, to slow down as you turn there’s the 7 and 9 button and to accelerate as you turn use the 1 and 3 buttons. To give your thumbs a bit of a break I’d suggest you switch the accelerator from manual to automatic.

For added realism it’s worthwhile keeping your car glued to the track as you’ll end up not just losing time, but damaging your car – which may even result in you not finishing the race! You don’t just have to try and stay within the white lines but also avoid coming into contact with vehicles on the road, as again they will not just cost you time if you ram them but can bring your game to a crashing end.

In World Tour mode, the world’s been split into 7 championships, which have up to 4 tracks available in each. The object of the game is to rank highly in the races for cash prizes. When you’ve managed to win enough money you will be allowed to progress to the next stage – but all previous stages must be complete before you can start the next course.

In Pro Career mode, you choose from three different tournaments (Autosport, V8 Supercar Championship Series and DTM), where you must compete in up to 13 races. As with standard races, you are awarded points depending on the finishing position, which effects your overall standing position during the tournament.

If you’re after a quick game then Free Race mode is probably the best suited option. In this mode you get to play any unlocked courses in any vehicle. To unlock a course you must finish higher than 3^rd in World Tour mode.

So in the end then, this is a really fun fuel guzzling challenge which will certainly keep you playing over and over again as you try to get a better position in each race. For the more novice race game players amongst you, you’ll be given a good challenge and will no doubt start by bringing up the rear but with practice and luck, you’ll soon be able to call yourself a pro.

Rating 87%

Positives

Great graphics

Fantastic range of courses

It’s quite a challenge winning 1^st place

Negatives

A little repetitive

Sounds aren’t very good

This is a game where persistence pays off