Driver San Francisco racing game for PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360

Rarely do driving games attempt much in the way of plot, but Driver San Francisco dares to be different. In fact, it offers one of the most ludicrous storylines you're likely to have heard in a long while.

A direct sequel to previous Driver games, Driver San Francisco starts with John Tanner, the hero of the long-running series, suffering a terrible car crash. The rest of the game happens inside his head as he lies on a hospital bed fighting for his life. In Tanner's mind, he is still hunting down Charles Jericho, the escaped villain who caused his accident. This leads to a series of exclusively vehicle-based missions and side quests as you track down your imaginary quarry.

If that wasn't daft enough, an added twist allows Tanner's disembodied presence to ‘shift' from one vehicle to another, temporarily possessing other drivers as he goes.

It's a curious move for a series that has previously attempted to be reasonably grounded in realism but we'll admit that the shifting mechanic does in fact give the otherwise fairly samey car chases and driving missions an added dimension. As a result, the game was fun to play both in single and multi-player modes.

Seventies-inspired visuals and music lend the game some character and it should run fairly smoothly on moderately powerful PCs (click here to see the full requirements). Driver San Francisco might take the series on a limb but it's certainly a unique experience. That said, there are better cops and robbers games out there; specifically Need for Speed Hot Pursuit.

PEGI age rating: 12+

Available on: PC, Playstation 3, Xbox 360