Review: Colin McRae Dirt game

Scottish rally-meister Colin McRae’s lengthy career may have had its ups and downs, but it has been paralleled since 1998 by one of the most consistent racing simulation games ever to grace the desktop.

The original Colin McRae Rally was praised for its top-notch graphics and realistic gameplay, and each sequel has managed to raise the bar both in terms of presentation and accuracy. But just as things were starting to get a little predictable, along comes Dirt to muck everything up.

In fact, Dirt is a refreshing change from the well-worn gravel path of the previous McRae titles. Rather than sticking with the strict rally racing career of the earlier games, Dirt diversifies the gameplay, offering a number of different off-road disciplines to master. It’s a simple alteration to the formula but one that works wonders.

The solitary time-trial event is joined by CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing), which pits you alongside other vehicles in a more straightforward race to the finish line. Dirt also adds hill-climb events, rally-raid competitions and rally-cross to the roster, each of which require slightly different skills and use a variety of vehicles.

In keeping with its forebears, Dirt sets new standards in terms of visuals. Fully licensed car models look virtually photo-realistic, while courses and environments – be they dusty desert tracks or leafy overcast country roads – are absolutely stunning. Both are helped by some tremendous lighting and shadow effects that make the rally experience feel extremely authentic.

We can’t stress enough how good this game looks. Even when your car starts to get really beaten up, there’s a certain beauty to all the crumpled bumpers and dented bonnets. Unfortunately, however, there’s one fairly large caveat – you’ll need a very powerful PC to get the best from Dirt’s graphics.

We tried Dirt out on a couple of computers: one very new and the other older. Even though it comfortably met the minimum requirements, the older one really struggled to run the game at a decent detail level. Predictably, it performed much better on the new PC.

That’s not the only flaw, either. Multiplayer support is a little weak, with no head-to-head options available. And, while the overall presentation of the game is excellent, an annoying ‘driving partner’ character continuously vocalises unnecessary comments (such as ‘man, I’m really stoked’) which, unless you have the hide of an elephant, will quickly get on your nerves.

Apart from these relatively minor glitches, however, Codemasters manages to strike a pretty good balance with Dirt. It’s easy to pick up and play, but challenging and varied enough to keep you interested. It’s just a shame so much computer horsepower is required to enjoy it to the full.

Vista compatibility: Yes

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