When Xbox was launched there were a number of high quality titles that were released to promote the machine’s ability to host some great games . Project Gothum Racing was one of these and set the standard for other racing games. Since then Xbox has had a mixture of serious racers, such as Colin Mcrae. To the more arcade styled racers such as Midnight Club 2. Also let us not forget the sublime games such as Crazy Taxi and Burnout.

Driving games evoke peoples fantasies regarding driving vehicles that they may never actually own or even see in real life. Allowing players to own every car imaginable in their own computerized garages. The thrill of hurtling down a race track or street at over 200km/h with no need for fear of crashing is a complete fictional scenario (for most people) compared to the real world. These facts are what make the vast range of driving games popular. Whether you are being chased by the police to competing for big money in a championship, players will never tyre (ahem, tire) of the genre.

Some games have gone a little further than others by offering players the option to mess around with the actual mechanics of their chosen vehicles. Some being very technical, perhaps even overwhelming the average racing fan. While others offering a more pick up and play without all the fuss type of approach. Cue Group S Challenge, another racing game on Xbox.Sitting somewhere in the middle of arcade and simulation. Will Group S rev your engine to the max or does it cause unsightly skid marks?

Gameplay:
Group S Challenge begins by offering the player two main modes of play from the main menu. These in-clude Arcade and Challenge modes. Arcade mode is broken down into three more race types which com-prise of single, as the name suggests a race on one of the many tracks with 5 random CPU controlled opponents. Then there is Time Attack, which is the player only, racing for personal bests. Finally there is One Make where all of the cars are identical thus making races even. The player is presented with four levels of difficulty here whereby the cars on offer are placed in the four classes as follows. Group C is the beginner class, group B the amateur class, group A for professionals and finally group S which is a specialised class (obviously the inspiration for the game’s title). There is an extra class which allows the player to use some of the earned vehicles from challenge mode.

Challenge Mode is a place for gaining all of the 80 cars in the game by means of taking part in various races to earn cash to buy your next vehicle of choice. It is here that the player will also be able to add a number of under the bonnet modifications to their vehicles. These include engine tune ups, turbo kits, suspension, tyres, weight reduction and braking. There are three types of part that can be purchased for each vehicle and come at various costs.

Starting challenge mode with limited funds will enable the player to buy a basic group C vehicle. It is then up to the player to take part in the group C class races to earn cash to either tune up their vehicle or buy another. The overall objective at this stage is to compete in two lap races in a championship comprising of five tracks. Winning these will then allow you to move up a class, thus earning you more cash and ultimately better vehicles. The player is given the option to race any of the five tracks as a single race which will help build up funds if you are competent at a certain circuit. The tracks in general borrow from Project Gothum where other parts of the same track are used as the player progresses through the game.

There are also two other modes of play here which include Line-Line and Duel. The former being a Pac man in a car type event whereby you drive around the tracks collecting dots, which in turn can earn more cash. Duel is a simple one on one race and the means to unlocking various specialised cars. However the twist here is that you must beat a particular car with three different types of vehicle (set by the game) to unlock it. This forces you to perhaps buy cars that you might normally overlook.

First impressions of Group S Challenge are average. Arcade mode obviously puts the player directly into the drivers seat of a wide selection of cars from the offset. However the lack of options here really lets the game down. Why isn’t the player given the option to race more than two laps should he or she desire? The handling of the vehicles are also a little off and at times feel like you are driving a tank rather than a prized dream machine. The CPU cars also seem to have a distinct advantage if they collide with your vehicle, often nudging you out of the way and putting you in a tailspin. This usually resulted in major frustration whereby I gave up and restarted the race. Also the AI of the CPU cars are not very challenging once you become semi familiar with the various tracks. Often you will speed off leaving all the cars behind resulting in a time trial like mode.

Challenge mode is much better, offering more depth. There are quite a number of cars to purchase here as a lot of worldwide manufacturers are present, which should keep racing fans well entertained. The handling of a car without any modifications (the starting blocks for most) is unusual and perhaps a little overstated. This often resulted in weaving from side to side unable to keep control. For many impatient players this may actually put them off and provoke them to return the game before giving it a proper chance. If you have a little patience and start earning cash, then buying modifications will improve this situation a lot. The modifications themselves are also very simple which will please those of you who wish to not get too technical and get on with the racing. The lack of many events make this mode very limited, yet the whole money aspect will drive players on to get the more expensive motors on offer.

The duel mode is pretty neat which as I mentioned earlier, forces the player to buy cars that one might normally overlook. However the enjoyment of this mode is tied directly to how well you have performed in the single and championship races (how much money you have accumulated). This is an interesting addition to the game and offers something a little different from the norm.

Graphics:
Graphically the game looks pretty crisp with some reasonable track detail on display. The cars look like their real life counterparts, being realised quite well, but do not look as good as they should on Xbox. The sense of speed is a little limited where by you never really feel that you are traveling the speed showed on your speedometer.

Sound:
The soundtracks that are on offer are pretty good if you like techno, trance style dance music, however the lack of being able to change the tunes on the fly is poor. Also the lack of custom soundtracks will annoy a lot of people who do not like the music that is shipped with the game. The sounds of the cars themselves seem to be ok although I have never driven a Dodge Viper at 200 km/ h to know what this would actually sound like.

Round Up:
Group S Challenge is an enjoyable game at times but remains an average racer at best. There is a reasonable amount of play time and fun to be had here if you are willing to overlook the games faults. I would recommend renting this first to see if its up your street, so to speak.