I purchased the latest; motor-exploding, fender-bending, high-jumping, wheel-spinning, vehicle-smashing version of this racer for the PS3, a week or 2 before Christmas. I found it at a bargain price at … that’s another story.

I enjoyed the original version of the game immensely, to the extent that it is one of the few games I have fully completed - ‘clocked’ it as they say. I even went as far as downloading additional content from PSN and completed that as well, so my expectations for the latest version were high. I am not disappointed. I have thus far completed about 50% of the game and find the races becoming increasingly difficult to master. Make no mistake I enjoy the challenge, and foresee many more hours sunk in racing mayhem (already clocked up over 10 hours!). The addition of the multiplayer split screen mode has been one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences for me; I even purchased an additional controller in order to enjoy the full 4-player multiplayer mode with my son and his mates. I even managed to show them a thing or two about racing.

The online experience is very rewarding; racing against players from all corners of the earth provides quite an adrenalin rush.

Earning trophies, unlocking new races, vehicles, and drivers are all part of the challenges awaiting those willing to take to the road in Motorstorm Pacific Rift!