Some racing games tread the fine line between realism and fun. If it's too realistic you need to be Hamilton to get around the course without writing off your motor, and if its too forgiving, hardcore gamers cast it away as arcadey.

But it's this balance that Ferrari Challenge seems to have struck just right. When you slam down the accelerator, the eruption of the engine and the speed on screen gives you a great sense that you're powering along in a super car. It's that feeling of raw speed sims like Gran Turismo usually lack.

[The game] has shaped up nicely. It's more realistic than Race Driver: Grid, and a more complete package than Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.

It seemed a bit on the easy side against CPU players, but with 16-player online racing and regular downloads promised it could be great. More ahead of the game's July release.