Sometimes, in Ridge Racer: Unbounded, you need to take a corner slowly. Sometimes it is best to go fast. Most of the time it is best to slam your opponent into it.

GAME: RIDGE RACER UNBOUNDED

PRICE: R499

AGE RESTRICTION: 7 AND UP

Ridge Racer: Unbounded is less a Ridge Racer game than a hint at what Carmegeddon would have looked like if it had survived into this decade - complete with destructible courses and insane driving.

As you race, you end up with power boosts - which allow you to gain that extra burst of speed, smash through walls to create your own shortcuts, or blow up explosive obstacles to destroy your enemies.

Each car handles differently, and each suits a different way of battling your way through the courses.

Thanks to the nature of the races, the real question is whether you should favour a car with high speed, or if you should go with one with better handling to take advantage of those shortcuts.

It isn't a matter of one car being better than another. It's a matter of each car having its own advantages.

The developers used the same course editor that comes on the disc to create the official tracks, which can leave you with a sense of déjà vu in-between the explosions, but I choose to view this as fitting.

The plot is almost nonexistent. You are a criminal trying to impress other criminals, get better cars and race through the streets at breakneck speeds in order to get into tougher races.

It isn't exactly William Shakespeare, but then this is a racing game in which you can crash through the mayor's office because, by not sticking to the road, this impromptu shortcut will cut your journey by 0.5 seconds .

One of the issues raised in an online discussion about the game is that enemy cars seem to be able to boost up straight away. But there were moments when I managed to do the same thing, so I am not sure if this is a bug or not.

THE GOOD

It's fast-paced racing with destruction and exploration as you reshape the course around you.

THE BAD

This game is very good, but it probably shouldn't have been given the Ridge Racer title as it is not, in fact, Ridge Racer.

RATING: 8/10