A distinctive vehicular discipline that has long garnered more critical praise than consumer support, rally racing has blossomed from a quirky sideshow into a major player in the world of PC motorsports since the turn of the millennium. Today, computer rallying is dressed up in a number of guises, from BugBear's ultrarealistic yet remarkably unhyped Rally Trophy to Infogrames' action-packed Master Rallye and the sophisticated Colin McRae Rally 2. Simply put, rallying is everywhere. Into this suddenly crowded subgenre wades Microsoft with its own take on the subject, Rallisport Challenge. Initially developed for the Xbox video game console, where it continues to be exceptionally popular, Rallisport Challenge will come to a PC near you early this fall.

Equipped with an assortment of ground effects, a race-ready Audi streaks through a mountainous Rallisport Challenge environment.

If you've played the Xbox version of Rallisport, you'll know just what to expect from its computerized compatriot. Well, almost. Microsoft has opted to deviate only slightly from its triumphant Xbox formula, adding just a few PC-only modifications but otherwise remaining true to the original concept. As the old adage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Back for another go in the designer's chair is the Swedish wing of game development studio Digital Illusions, which in addition to Rallisport has fashioned such driving-oriented titles as Motorhead, Rally Masters and the successful PlayStation adaptation of NASCAR Heat. The company is also busy honing the next installment in Microsoft's wacky Midtown Madness series, Midtown Madness 3. Clearly an experienced developer of racing games, Digital Illusions is curtailing its creativity somewhat in order to exactingly reconstruct the Xbox Rallisport experience for PC drivers.

According to returning Rallisport program manager Peter Wong, the company has " done a faithful port of the title, using nearly all the same code that shipped with the Xbox version. While we initially thought about doing new things in the PC version, we felt it best to focus on ensuring fans had the same experience on the PC and Xbox. We wanted to maintain the same gameplay balance and features...so that fans on both platforms can faithfully compare their times with each other and switch between platforms without having to learn new physics, cars, and tracks. The main difference is the addition of network play. The PC version will also support higher resolutions and a broader set of input devices including force feedback, but otherwise, all the features are the same."

But while Rallisport was able to charge to the front of the pack on a platform relatively free of competing rallying titles, it won't have nearly the same opportunity in the already rally-crazed world of computer gaming. In this respect, the game's biggest draw may well be its seemingly unending diversity. Like its Xbox precursor, Rallisport for the PC will have nearly 50 separate circuits--most of which will remain locked until you prove you're talented enough to take them on. During their travels, players may just as easily find themselves tearing through the deserts of East Africa as sliding along a frozen Nordic road or grinding up a paved hill climb in the Pacific Northwest.

A pretty blue Subaru grapples with the slippery surfaces of an ice-encrusted rally circuit.

Xbox Rallisport veterans will have seen all the tracks before, but that won't stop experienced players and newcomers alike from enjoying the game's wonderful depictions of varying geography and environmental conditions at the much higher resolutions supported by a PC. "The PC version will feature the exact same circuits as the Xbox version--a great mix of multiple surfaces like tarmac, dirt, mud, snow, gravel, and ice in regions around the world," Wong said. "We have weather variability on some tracks but the weather conditions and time of day are preset for each track. This allows us to focus on making the tracks look as real as possible."

Furthermore, says Wong, most every critical element in the game will be rendered in three-dimensional space. "With the Xbox we had the opportunity to really bring to life most of the environment," he said. "You see that with the use of more 3D objects and more dynamic/moving objects. While we use billboards for certain faraway objects, nearly every tree, rock, bush, person, animal, and other trackside object in the game is 3D." And if four dozen or so wild and woolly tracks aren't enough to keep you playing for a good long time, Rallisport will also include a total of 29 unique automobiles, each a licensed replica of a real-world rallying car from manufacturers such as Audi, Citroen, Lancia, Ford, Subaru, and Mitsubishi. From modern-day rally and high-powered "unlimited" vehicles through to group B cars and dedicated hill climbers, the authentic assortment is sure to please car buffs. So will the game's extraordinary versatility. Again like the Xbox original, the PC version will sport four disciplines--traditional staged rallying, hill climbs, ice racing, and rallycross--and a variety of racing styles, including time attack, single race, multiplayer, and career.