TOCA Race Driver PS2

Well, it's finally here, the driving game that seems to have taken an age to arrive, and some, like your author, got a little dizzy with excitement when it landed in our collective lap. Your PS2 finally gets the racer it deserves with Toca Race Driver. After a somewhat downbeat scene-setting introduction, the first chapter introduces the main players in Toca Race Driver, including the man behind the wheel, Ryan McKane. That downbeat feeling we experienced only a few moments before (hey, no spoilers!) was replaced with a huge grin as soon as McKane went for a spin around Monza for a test drive. Iggy and the Stooges? 'Search and Destroy'? All hail Codemasters - Genius at the record player. But we're jumping the gun. There's more to Toca Race Driver than high-powered saloon cars and a tasty soundtrack (Ash, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Thin Lizzy are also present, BTW). Much has been made of the game's storyline and the role-playing element therein. Well, yes there is a storyline, and thankfully it's not too cheesy. The role-playing element? You do assume the identity of Ryan McKane, but it's hardly the stuff of Final Fantasy. There are cut-scenes aplenty to illustrate what's happening to Ryan, and how you conduct yourself on the racetrack is reflected in these scenes. It's all very interesting to see where it leads. However, all cut-scenes eventually lead to the racetrack, and this, dear reader, is where the real action takes place. After your initial test drive, and assuming you haven't made a complete mess of it, you will be offered a drive with one team, just to get your career started. Perform well and you'll receive a handful of offers from various teams when the initial series of races is over. It's up to you to choose which team you sign with from here on in. But one thing is certain: a solo test drive is simple stuff compared to the racing madness that comes with thirteen other cars bumping and barging their way around the track. The computer AI has been cranked up a notch or two for Toca Race Driver: tormen