The last time Sega Rally pulled up on our driveway was when it was ported from the arcade to the Saturn console in the mid '90s.

It was, and still is, a game loved and cherished by lots of hardcore fans, which means that an attempt to revive Sega Rally Championship for today's generation of young gamers on Xbox 360, PSP, Playstation 3 and PC is as tricky as negotiating a hairpin turn at 50mph.

Rally retains much of the arcade feel of the original while also giving the game enough substance to appeal to players who demand the bells and whistles of modern, connected gaming.

There are now more than 30 beautifully rendered 2WD and 4WD vehicles (the original game had only three cars) to race around six eye-wateringly colourful destinations. Each environment - Tropical, Canyon, Alpine, Safari, Arctic and Lakeside - can be raced in various incarnations.

And it's these plush destinations which allow Rally to show off one of its finest features - deformable terrain. Where other rally games give the appearance of a car having carved a rut into the track surface, the boffins at Sega have managed to make these grooves affect handling and grip. It essentially means that no two laps will ever be the same.

Other modeling includes the dirt building up on your car in layers only to be washed off as you drive through a water hazard. And a favourite touch of ours is where water will back-fill tread marks entering puddles. It looks great.

As well as the usual arcade and time trial modes, players with internet access will be able to race head to head with people around the world, in one-on-one matches or against up to five others.

It is also possible download ghosts of fastest laps to race against and then compare your times on leaderboards - of which there are so many you're sure to find one you can aspire to top.

The experience of driving is made more intense by anyone with rumble on their control pad or steering wheel. The feel of driving across bumpy surfaces is made much better when your hands are being shaken.

Handling of the cars across all the surfaces is superb. It initially takes time to learn how forceful to be with the steering, and what line to take round the tracks, but it is ultimately a rewarding experience. Pulling off the perfect power-slide or negotiating the tricky chicane becomes very satisfying.

Some may feel the penalties for crashing are too minor but we must remember that this game's arcade roots keep it from being too punishing an experience in terms of losing speed, although hitting the sides will affect your times more than you think.

The audio works well with the tracks too; the rumble of cobbles is spot on, as is the muffled patter of driving across virgin snow. Coupled with the throaty grunts from the various cars and it all makes for a thrilling ride.

There to guide you round each circuit is a friendly American co-driver who gives a vague warning about what type corner to expect next, it's quite helpful, in fact, but he can be turned down in the options while the sound FX can be boosted.

Unfortunately the music for Rally is a little bit rubbish. It just kind of warbles away in the background and, if anything, slightly takes away from the thrill of neck-breaking speeds.

The menu screens are somewhat bland too. While trying to look like a arcade title, they each look very similar and are not very comfortable to navigate.

But its shortcomings are forgivable. Sega Rally offers some fine competition for games like Colin McRae Dirt. Although it has no damage model for cars, it offers live races against other players, is very fast with a steady frame rate, has great handling and consistently solid game play.

Vista compatible: Yes