HAVING been a fan of the Gran Turismo series since I first came across it in 1998, I loaded up the latest offering from Polyphony Digital and strapped in for a weekend of racing.

While first impressions of Gran Turismo Sport are really impressive, it is a change of direction for the title.

Gone are the hundreds of available cars for you to collect for a smaller list of less than 200.

Both real and concept cars have been designed specifically for the game but each and every one of them is beautifully rendered and a joy to look at with their own driving characteristics and dynamics.

GT Sport is all about driving and racing, something that it does very well indeed. Working your way through the race school allows you to perfect the techniques that you will need once you get on the track to win races. In single player mode, the AI (artificial intelligence) players really do seem as though they want to win unlike previous versions, which just seemed to be content with dawdling around the track. They really do jostle for position on the track and will fight back if you pass them.

The racetracks themselves are less impressive – they look too basic. There is no changeable weather and the surroundings look too sparse and unrealistic. Even the crowds look as if they are just an afterthought and are just blocks in the grandstands.

On the whole, GT Sport will cater for the die hard fans like myself, but I think that there may be a lot of people who might be disappointed by this offering and may well look at other offerings in the same genre.

MARK PRICE