Codemasters' Colin McRae games force players to concentrate on driving skills while finding pleasure in kicking up the dirt. Lately, though, the series has been stuck in neutral, with no new entries appearing since Colin McRae 2005. Fortunately, things will pick up when Codemasters releases DiRT June 19.

While DiRT doesn't carry the Colin McRae name (in the U.S., anyway), it shows no signs of loosening its tight grip on simulation racing. Players work their way through a grueling number of time-trial and competitive races, keeping their versatile racing skills in-check while avoiding wrecks that can devastate a vehicle in a matter of seconds. Some of the events include Rally Cross challenges, C.O.R.R. (Championship Off Road Racing) competitions and a new Hill Climb event, forcing players to scramble up near-vertical surfaces in a certain amount of time. Many of these races take place throughout the world, based upon actual racing events.

Codemasters spent nearly two years developing DiRT, with a lot of effort going into the graphics. The tracks look very realistic, with different locales and lots of cool little effects. Watching a car kick up gravel around a turn has to be seen to be believed. The game also brings a dynamic replay system into the mix, so players can play back a race at their leisure. The frame rate should hover around sixty frames per second, stuttering only on occasion from the on-screen action. Weather conditions also play a huge part in the game, whether it involves early morning fog, rain or the blistering heat.

Gamers will enjoy authentic vehicles. These include routine rally cars as well as Super Buggies and Pro 4 Trucks. They look extremely detailed, right down to the real-time damage gathered from collisions.

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