Grand Prix 4 is an excellent simulation/arcade style racer but falls short with glitches that ruin the experience...
The most serious issue in the game is that it crashes to the desktop often when playing. There is no reason given, the game crashes at random which obviously destroys the experience. I have tried the game on several different computers with the same effect.
When the game worked it was very fun and immersive...However there was always the possibility of the game crashing and this replaced the fun with frustration and annoyance.
Annoyed at the games seeming inability to run, I went onto a number of websites and found that many have had the same problem. The game is essentially broken, yet when it works it is such a great experience I still give it a good score.
GP4 greatly improves on GP3. The cars no longer look the same, as in GP3,
with each teams 2001-spec chassis being accurately modeled. The tracks are also far more detailed, the rain simulation has been improved, and in general the graphics have been completely revamped. GP4 makes GP3 look like a old N64 game in comparison. Indeed the graphics are superb, and still hold up today. Although they are not quite as HD as the recent PS3 creation, the cars modelling is so much better.
However where GP4 truly excells is gameplay. Geoff Crammond is famous for creating games which blend Arcade (driving aids) and simulation ( tire wear, fuel strategy etc.) together. The game still feels like its on rails (even more so than GP3 infact), but that still creates the feeling that you are in complete control and to many that will make it easier to actually race.
So you can have a lot of fun, especially when racing in the rain. This is when strategy comes into play and its fun to see the AI make mistakes, crash and race head to head with you. When the game works for long enough it's these sort of situations that truly define GP4 as a great experience.
There are also a lot of downloads on the internet to choose from. GP4 comes with the 2001 season set, which to be fair wasn't the most exciting of years, so more experienced gamers can mod GP4 as close as 2008. Be warned though its not a simple process and if you know somebody who is into these things my suggestion is that you should ask for help.
Sadly though you may never get to that situation because as I said before the game is bust. My copy anyway, but it does seem to be a common affliction. This aside however once the game works its incredibly fun to play. If you get a full working copy expect to get hours of fun.