We always rated the Colin McRae series of games very highly (except for the blip on the radar that was ‘3’) and 2005 is everything its immediate predecessor was, and then some. What with this and a souped-up Toca Race Driver 2 heading to PlayStation 2 in October 2004, who really needs to wait for GT4 and its gleaming ‘un-scratchable’ depth and immersion? Codies have provided us with more than enough thrills and spills in Colin 2005. And the greatest thing about Codemasters’ racers? As vintage punk types The Damned put it, you can “Smash it Up!” Now, you can’t say that about Gran Turismo… More than 30 cars have been faithfully recreated for Colin McRae Rally 2005, including models from Volkswagen, Audi, Ford, Peugot, Renault, Lancia, Mitsubishi and Nissan (Colin’s most recent fave rave, the Dakar Pickup, is included at the man’s personal request). Vehicle classes and competitions are manifold, with CMR2005’s deep, deep gameplay options providing 23 individual events and progression therein. If that’s not enough for you in the single/two player experience, then the big bonus for PS2 owners is the Net Play facility. Even the most friendless misfit can get involved this time around with a mere Broadband Adapter, and knowing gamers like we do, this’ll be one of CMR2005’s big selling points. The realism in CM2005 has been turned up a notch or two too, with a new, improved damage engine in full effect. You’ll flip out as your car flips, jettisons doors and crumples its bonnet on impact with whatever gets in the way. You’ll even see something approaching double if you hit hard enough, gazing dazedly through your virtual visor after, say, running at high speed into a tree. You don’t really need us to tell you anymore about Colin for 2005. Suffice to say that if you know Codemasters’ track record with racing games, and you can blot out the memory of the disappointing CMR3, then you know what to do next.