Having had a good look at JB's review of Xbox CMR 04 (that we were all raving about a couple of weeks ago so much that we decide to give a rare 10/10), it soon becomes obvious that just about everything he said applies for the PS2 version too. Codies have taken a good game and made it even better by improving the graphics and giving us back gameplay options that 3 was missing. So now I'm going to steal most of JB's review of Xbox CMR 04, because a) I can, b) as I said, just about everything applies to both, and c) I'm a lazy git…

   

I jumped straight into Colin's Xsara for a quick look at a selection of stages and was immediately delighted with the much-talked-about 'new handling model'. The cars now feel much more like the real thing and skidding/sliding is now more down to the way you drive, rather than the constant floaty state of the old McRaes. The throttle/brake/handbrake controls all respond nicely - the X, square and circle buttons give a surprising amount of analogue control to the speed/attitude of the car and you soon realise this is the most realistic McRae game yet, heck, it may be the most realistic racing game yet.

The cars look superb, and they allow you to make them look absolutely filthy, covered in mud or dust, and the damage modelling allows you to smash, dent or completely remove just about every window, spoiler or body panel in the game. The 3 views (chase, bumper and the smart in-car) should suit every sort of rally game player, and the replays (that were so messed up last year) look like they've had the cameras placed by a real TV director (although they've removed all of the in-car replay views, which is a shame). The scenery has been given an overhaul as well, with what seems like a lot more greenery about the place (including waving grass and trees), combined with some superb new texturing on the roads, tracks, rocks and walls means that the game is occasionally breathtaking to look at - although you're mostly confined to a fairly narrow driveable corridor, the landscapes are so expansive that you really feel like you're racing around just part of a larger, real world.

There are eight rallies to compete in (USA, Finland, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Australia, Japan & UK) that all have a genuinely individual feel and look, and there are three levels of difficulty that should suit all standards of driver too; Normal, Advanced and the new 'Extreme' mode that can only be played from the in-car view, with no split times and heavy damage). You can have 2 players compete in a simultaneous championship and up to 4 can go split screen rallying head to head.

   

All the visual (lighting, water spray, dust, smoke, sparks) and sound FX (engine/gearbox/turbo/tyre noises) seem to have been redone and look and sound better and are more immersive than ever before, and for once in a rally game I can't find fault with the pace notes (but I'm sure I will at some point). The car lineup is a varied one and includes the best from this year and last and comes in 4 'classes': 4WD (Citroen Xsara, Subaru Impreza, Ford Focus, Lancer Evo 7), 2WD (MGZR, Citroen Saxo, Ford Puma, Fiat Punto, VW Golf), Group B (Audi Quattro, Peugeot 205 T16, Ford RS200, Lancia 037) and Bonus (MGC, Lancia Delta Integrale, Ford Escort RS 1600, Mitsubishi Pajero, Subaru Impreza 22B, Ford Transit Van, Citroen 2CV). I was a bit miffed that my favourite Group B car (the Metro 6R4) has been dropped, but there's still something there to appeal to everyone. After every rally you get a chance to test new parts and if you're good enough they get added to your car to improve its performance. The new damage repair and tune up interface is clean, clear and easy to use and for once the adjustments really do matter as you're not given any assistance and the default settings/tyres are rarely the best for the upcoming stage. A 'shakedown' practice mini-stage allows you to get the feel before you start in earnest.

The only thing we've noticed that downgrades this game from the Xbox version (that we've played to death) is the slightly lower resolution (unsurprisingly), a little more pop-up in the distance, some inexplicable slowdown in replays and a less silky frame rate. Obviously, if you haven't seen CMR 04 running on the Xbox these small gripes don't spoil the game in any way - it's easily the best rally game on PS2, it leaves both WRC II Extreme and V-Rally 3 in a muddy ditch and really throws down a gauntlet to the forthcoming WRC 3.