Grand Prix Legends

The Good
The first (and to date only) game to take on historical racing, this game creates it's own niche in simulations. With an exquisite physics model that has yet to be surpassed, this game offers the hard-core sim enthusiast the purist racing enviornment seen to date on the PC. Later patches for the game have added D3D support for later-generation cards, bus-speed patches to allow for processors over 1GHz, and force-feedback support. The force-feedback is particularly lovely, providing a 'springy' feel in corners, and doing much more than the usual 'shake over the kerbs'. And of course, the ability to race at the old Spa and Nurmbering!

The Bad
The INCREDIBLY steep learning curve will daunt all but the most enthusiastic. Without a wheel (or at least a stick) and pedals this game is all but unplayable. Graphics as provided are mediocre, even in 3D mode. A wide fan community exists to supplant this, but then the game slows dramatically. The AI cannot be adjusted, meaning you're always racing against the best of the best. Sounds are unspectacular at best (can be patched).

The Bottom Line
If you are interested in pure racing, have a wheel and pedals, and a tremendous amount of free time, you can't go wrong investing the money and disc space to this game. If you are a casual,?weekend racer, however, you may want to leave it on the shelf, unless you REALLY like spinning out often and being passed a lot.