That you don't need to buckle up and are encouraged to floor it are just two common traits of playing racing car games. Maybe the next generation of games will require you to be fully kitted in safety harness and crash helmet. Gareth Rowe checks out some racing car games
But, while many games are similar - like choosing a car for the real road - it's often a matter of personal taste.
There are generally two codes of racing - the arcade racing game and the driving simulator game.
Driving simulators can very often be quite detailed in their approach. With most of them you can have a quick spin around the tracks, but you only truly appreciate them if you are willing to tinker with all manners of car set-ups including gear ratios, downforce or how much petrol you're going to put in the tank.
Arcade racers concentrate their efforts on delivering a quick fix, exhilarating experience. You just get in the car and drive as fast as you can. They are ideal to play when you just have 10 minutes or so to spare. Unless you're a real enthusiast these might prove to be ample enough for your needs. One can't deny though that there are games from both codes (arcade/simulator) out there that wouldn't pass the DOE and there are some sparkling models with features to die for.
If you are buying a racing game for Christmas (and have a PS2) then your safest bet (but what self respecting racing fan hasn't got this already) is probably Gran Turismo 3. Don't interpret safe as boring, it's just that it is hard to find any flaw in this gem of a game.
It features real world cars from well-known marques as well as some more exotic models. To race in the big leagues you have to first prove you are up to it in a series of tests before you can obtain your license.
Colin McRae Rally 3 is another exceptional game and particularly enjoyable if you are a fan of the sport. Damage to the car is an intrinsic aspect of the sport and it is recreated here. You can crumple your chassis, do your suspension in, or just write the car off and you can see it all in stunning detail.
Other good rally games are the new World Rally Championship, Sega GT and V-Rally3.
The Toca touring car series games are also excellent but perhaps they suffer simply because the sport isn't as popular in this neck of the woods but any motor-racing fan will love them.
Formula One is well represented on the consoles with F1 2002 but Grand Prix 4 for the PC is in a different class. Every release of this game has set the benchmark for Formula One and indeed other racing games.
As with all PC games, make sure your PC is comfortably capable of running the latest games or you feel like you're driving on the hard shoulder at all times.
Not all car games are about racing opponents though, and some have dubious intentions. The latest Need for Speed game carries on its tradition of seeing you racing exotic cars through traffic whilst trying to evade the strong arm of the law.
It's excellently done though, and can be a lot of fun. And unlike some of the aforementioned games you don't need to get your hands too dirty customising your car set up. Burnout 2 is another game that is quick and easy but plenty of fun. Total Immersion Racing boast some of the best and most intelligent driving opponents and you can even have a grudge held against you.
While Need for Speed can hardly be called dubious, Grand theft Auto 3 certainly can and is legally only for over-18s.
Not only is speeding required, so is car-jacking and running over pedestrians in your spare time. Your real job is to carry out jobs for a crime boss. But the more reckless you are the better. Police, FBI or the army will hunt you down more aggressively.
Although some of the violence might seem gratuitous it is nonetheless a very clever videogame and highly entertaining game for those over 18. This will be one of the most popular games of the whole year.
On the Gameboy Advance, there are some versions of the games that appear on the bigger consoles (Colin McRae, V-Rally and so on) but although Super Mario Kart is getting long in the tooth it is still a fantastic driving game.
At first it might look very cuddly, cute and gimmicky but it will not take long to realise at its heart this is a real racing game, and one that will take you some time to master.
If you want to enhance your driving experience you can purchase a steering wheel device, which are available for all the major consoles and PCs. Although they will probably make your driving more fun they will not necessarily make it any better.
Whichever game you choose, one thing is for certain: you are going to crash very often, but that is all part of the fun.