The age-old question seemingly for every racing game that comes out is whether it is "sim" or "arcade" in its styling. Make no mistake here, while its foundations in the TOCA/Race Driver series were decidedly sim-oriented, GRID 2 offers a distinct arcade-styled experience.

The original Race Driver: GRID was my favourite arcade style racer and when I'd finished it I waited for a long time for a replacement, or for something to even come close. The wait is over I'm pleased to say and it's GRID 2 which has filled the gap!

GRID 2 is a racer that cares less about what's under the bonnet, and more about how well a car can screech around a corner at top speed. It's quite far removed from the simulation titles that Codemasters has been known for in the past, but damn, is it ever fun.

+ The rewind mechanic makes everything easier to appreciate; + The handling is a lot of fun to get to grips with; + It looks gorgeous

- Won't please anyone after a simulation experience; - Online is hard to get into initially; - Could use more track variety

Gamestyle have been fans of this series from day one and we are not talking about GRID, we started on TOCA Touring Car Championship on the PS1. What Codemasters produced was a fantastic racing game that felt as close to a simulation on the console as you would get.

GRID 2 was long-rumored, but fans of the original felt like the series would never get a chance to continue due to DiRT getting Codemasters' focus for racing action in the succeeding five years. Thankfully, nearly a year ago, a follow-up was announced and the fanbase rejoiced.

is back with its sequel with promised improvements to car handling and A.I. topping the list from Codemasters.

The linchpin holding Grid 2's single player storyline and main gameplay mode together is World Series Racing (WSR), which is a racing competition started by eccentric billionaire Patrick Callahan.

Although not class-leading; the graphics still look great; Exhaust notes of each car sound excellent; LiveRoutes feature in WSR mode keeps players on their toes; Excellent presentation; Realistic car damage; Rewind feature works well if and when you need it

Lack of variety in car selection; Lack of variety in track selection; Can only change look of vehicles; not their performance parts such as engine or brake upgrades; No interior cabin vantage point

Codemasters has been regularly updating its rally-themed Dirt series, but the developer has finally turned its attention to the Grid series.

Slick presentation and impressive graphics; Satisfying race progression in championship mode

No racing lines to assist with track navigation; Races get particularly difficult later on; especially without racing aids

Grid 2 is a refreshing racing title all-in-all; whilst there is nothing unique about game modes or the games storyline, it more than makes up for it with its impressive visuals, awe-inspiring collisions and superb gameplay.

Visually stunning; Collisions are immense; Lots of cars to play with

Plot isn't exactly unique; No cockpit view

The biggest challenge these days for any racing game is to find an audience and make that niche as happy as possible. The most successful racing franchises over the last 20 years follow this philosophy to a tee, whether its Burnout and Need for Speed for the arcade crowd, or Gran Turismo and Forza...

Pitch perfect controls with a weighty arcade feel; satisfying career mode; generally excellent graphics and presentation; very challenging gameplay despite the useful rewind feature; good selection of cars and tracks; excellent car damage model; aggressive AI

Rather bland multiplayer; barely any music; some frame rate stutters in heavy action; no cockpit view