Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad

7 cert, 2XL Games/Reverb Publishing, Xbox Live (also PlayStation Network) ***

“Hey man! Good to see you,” chirps Jeremy McGrath, accomplished driver and now videogame character. From the first green light, the off-road experience is evident: robust vehicles bounce around the dirt tracks, their suspension endlessly compensating for the rugged terrain. The momentum is tangible, as are the small collisions with other drivers. You race against seven other vehicles, but with yours negotiating mud, dust, snow, sand and more, your real opponent is beneath you. The action begins in rural America before venturing abroad to the likes of Australia (blue skies!) and Netherlands (windmills!). Races are sometimes peppered with rock slides, falling hay bales and small avalanches. Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad plays well and looks great for a budget game, though many will find there isn’t much lasting appeal. The career mode can be conquered in a couple of hours, and repetition can set in on single-player mode. At least it has an online multi-player, and (most importantly) it handles well. It’s conventional stuff, but worthwhile for petrol heads.