If you're tuning in just now, Colin McRae: DiRT was released this summer on Xbox 360 and PC and met with very positive reviews. However, it wasn't without flaws, with the generally dodgy framerate and underwhelming multiplayer mode being the most important downsides. For the PlayStation 3 version, the framerate hickups have been resolved, but alas we can't say the same for the MP.

But first things first. DiRT is a major shift in the CMR series, with less focus on pure rally races, where your sole purpose is to beat the clock, and more on different types of racing, such as hill climbs, crossovers, rally raids and others. This makes the game more varied and, in my opinion, infinitely more fun than its predecessors. Fans needn't worry though, as there are still more than enough rally races to soothe their wishes. The Colin McRae series has never been known for its ultrarealistic driving model and DiRT is no different. The game succeeds in finding a delicate balance between arcade racing and racing simulation, without veering too much towards one or the other.

Colin McRae: DiRT is also a lot more accessible to newcomers than its predecessors. Thanks to five carefully chosen difficulty settings, everyone should be able to find a challenge level to its liking. Most gamers who've tried a racing game before should feel right at home on the middle setting. It's nice that the game encourages you to by offering larger sums of prize money on higher difficulties. That money can be used to buy new and better cars or different car skins. The handling of the different types of cars (buggies, rally cars, big rigs, 4WD, RWD, FWD,...) is distinctly different and you can even notice the difference between several cars of the same class.

Visually, this is one of the most impressive racing games out there. The cars have an amazing level of detail, coupled with very accurate vehicle damage. Losing a fender or a door isn't such a big deal, but regularly hitting a post or a wall will cause your car to slow down significantly or make steering a real chore. The different tracks are very realistic, thanks to the magnifcent use of HDR lighting. Hell, the game even looks stunning on a SDTV. Even better is the fact that the framerate problems that plagued the PC and especially the X360 version have been dealt with on the PS3. The extra couple of months have really paid off, as the game now plays very smooth all the time. The soundtrack is a bit hit-and-miss. Though the songs aren't necessarily bad, they're just borderline. The engine noises are very impressive, just like in the previous games. The voice of the co-pilot is crisp and his remarks are usually spot-on, but he does occasionally make small errors (e.g. saying an upcoming turn is a 'left 4', when it's actually a 'left 3', thus sharper), which can cause you to lose some valuable seconds.

The major downside of the game is its disappointing online mode. You can only play hill climb and rally against other players and even then, you're not directly competing against them. It's more like a time trial, during which you receive real-time updates on how the other players are doing. If it's any consolation, lag was never an issue during online play.