Originally released for Microsoft's Xbox video game console in March, Rallisport Challenge was one of the best driving games on the system by virtue of its gorgeous graphics, well-designed tracks, and great variety of cars. The game was developed by Battlefield 1942 creator Digital Illusions, and its publisher Microsoft has since opted to release the game on the PC. And racing fans who don't own an Xbox will be pleased to know that nothing was lost in the translation. In fact, Rallisport Challenge for the PC even has a few key bonuses that weren't in the Xbox version, including noticeably sharper graphics and the ability to play online.

Rallisport Challenge has a total of 41 tracks spread across 12 different environments.

Rallisport Challenge is actually like four different rally games in one. There are a total of 41 tracks spread across 12 different environments, and each environment is the setting for one of four unique rally types. There are the traditional rally races, wherein you race against the clock throughout a series of checkpoints; ice racing, which involves competing against three other opponents on icy, slippery roads; hill climbs, which are similar to rally races except that your overall objective is to scale a mountain as fast as possible; and rally cross events, which are circuit-based races against other drivers on tracks that have several different types of terrain, like mud, gravel, or asphalt. To be precise, the tracks in the game consist of one of six different terrain types, and each one has a dramatic effect on the way your car handles. Tarmac, for example, provides for extraordinary grip but makes it somewhat difficult for you to turn a corner with a powerslide--a technique that's a staple of rally racing. Gravel and mud, on the other hand, will affect how fast you accelerate in a straight line, but the relative lack of traction makes it easier to push your car around turns. Before every race, you're given the option of choosing a tire compound that's best suited to the current track conditions, but things such as changing weather conditions (a light drizzle at the start of a race might clear up by the time you cross the finish line) and multiple surface types (some tracks consist of mud and gravel or tarmac and sand) add a bit of challenge to this selection process.

As you'd probably expect from a racing game, Rallisport Challenge is split up between a persistent career mode and a quick race mode designed to get you in and out of a race as fast as possible. A third option, a time attack mode, is also available. Time attack is similar to quick race, but in it, you compete against the clock, not other cars. Obviously, the game's core lies in the career mode, in which you create a persona and compete in a series of 19 events that are split up across four difficulty levels. Each of these events is made up of anywhere from three to nine individual rally, hill climb, rally cross, or ice races, and you'll get points for driving each course faster than the posted times for first, second, and third place.

If you aren't careful, your car can end up with broken taillights, shattered windows, and bent fenders.

Initially, only the easiest series of races is available to you, but as you rack up enough points, you'll unlock subsequent events. If you didn't think you gave a certain series of races your best shot, you can go back and try it again, though you'll lose all the points that you gained in your last run, so there's a bit of risk involved in reattempting old races. Interestingly enough, you also get points for completing each race with as little damage to your car as possible. If you aren't careful, your car can end up with broken taillights, shattered windows, and bent fenders, and the more scrapes and bruises that your car accrues, the fewer points you'll get at the end of each race. However, no matter how much you bang up your cars, damage has no effect on their handling or performance.

As you unlock tracks in the career mode, they'll be made available to you in the time attack and quick race modes. You'll also unlock a new batch of cars after qualifying for a new difficulty level. In all, there are 25 real-world cars from manufacturers such as Audi, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Lancia, Opel, and others, and each handles differently. The front-wheel-drive Citroen cars, for example, will understeer dramatically while cornering if you're on the gas--lift your foot off the throttle (or your finger off the keyboard), and the car's rear will snap to the outside. The all-wheel-drive cars in the game have noticeably different handling and are decidedly more balanced in turns, even though some of the more powerful vehicles do tend to oversteer a bit. While some cars are more suited to certain environments than others, you'll probably choose a favorite and stick with it for the majority of your career. You can't buy any upgrades for your cars in Rallisport Challenge, though you can tweak several of their handling characteristics, such as the steering speed, gear ratio, suspension stiffness, and brake balance. All these changes have a significant effect on your car's performance--an effect that you'll easily be able to feel while driving.