Motor shows on television currently seem obsessed with destroying the very toys they use to treasure so much, ideally in as ruthless and ridiculous a manner as possible.

Top Gear seems to have changed from simply reviewing Volvos to spitting them out of cannons, while numerous satellite programmes seem wholly dedicated to the art of vehicle destruction.

Last year’s Flat Out followed this trend and allowed us to smash up all manner of behemoths, and even integrated a little racing as well. Thankfully, Flat Out 2 hasn’t changed the winning formula, although there are some flaws.

It looked fantastic before but it’s even better now, with a massive mix of race environments, and every element feels like it can be smashed to pieces. Races are also more violent than before, with mild artificial intelligence meaning that fellow competitors become mean rivals pretty quickly.

With plenty of aggro on the tracks, it soon becomes a scene of serious carnage, which naturally is great fun. Adding to this is the joy of seeing pristine classics being battered to pieces, especially fun if you’re responsible.

But although there are plenty of new visual flourishes, it feels as if the handling has been sacrificed somewhat, perhaps to make the game feel a little more familiar to console players.

Cars grip to the tracks now instead of sliding around chaotically like in the first title. Some may prefer the more arcade nature but we found that sliding all over the place was how these vehicles would handle.

The bulk of the single-player mode comes in the familiar Career option mode, with increasingly trickier races and more equipment on offer to purchase for successful drivers.

It’s fun if a little short-lived, and you’ll probably find that you want to move onto the brand new online modes pretty quickly.

Multiplayer racing has been introduced, which is the main reason why this scores so highly. Games like Flat Out 2 are simply much more satisfying when played against human opponents; even the mini-games can be played online.

What mini-games? Well one of the most entertaining features of the first Flat Out - in fact one of the most entertaining elements of any car game to date – were the ridiculous extra sections that tasked you with smashing your car up in truly ludicrous ways.

These are back and we’re pleased to report that it’s even more surreally wonderful. Ever fancied leaping into a basketball net in a car? Yup, us too, and lo and behold, now you can!

So while it’s no massive step forward, there’s enough dumb fun to recommend Flat Out 2.

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