There is a distinct popping sound as the Mustang downshifts for the corner, a little delay as the gear engages, then that horrific sound of metal-upon-metal as a competitor decides to swing over into the path you have taken to pass.

A crash, a tinkle of glass parts falling away, and then the roar of the engine. Fewer cars ahead, but it is the last lap and still some room to make up. That means taking chances. Succeed and Scottie Irving will be lavishing praise on you from the pits. Fail and you will hear that dry English accent lash you up one side and down the other.

TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator is the PlayStation 2 release from Codemasters. Spanning multiple racing styles, the game sports sterling graphical elements, and solid racing dynamics. There are few drawbacks, which seems indigenous to the series – like the flame pop from the third-person perspective when you accelerate hard – as well as some lag as you shift gears, but those are easily overlooked.

The game has depth and challenge, featuring two main modes of play, the simulator mode and the career mode. During the latter, you will be tasked to accomplish wins in a variety of settings en route to advancing your career with earnings and sponsorships.

Other features include 31 licensed and fictional global race locations offering 48 tracks; 35 aspirational cars; up to 21 cars on the track at once; and a new graphics render engine which provides 60 frames per second.

Multiplayer features include two-player as well as LAN and online play.

The game’s career path tracks a driver through a variety of races, challenging the player to place before advancing to the next venue. Each car handles differently, which creates challenge from one race to the next. The AI also seems decent in that the other cars in the single-player game are not adverse to a little rubbing or pushing you into the wall. There is not much in the set-up department of the game. The options package is a little skimpy, but while that seems scaled down, the game itself keys on the driving.

Don’t fear the manual shift. Some players really like to use automatic shifting in racing games, TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator is one game where the manual shifting is easy and improves your vehicle handling, especially with cars like the Mustang. Downshifting going into corners is much preferable to braking. The shifting is not quite as smooth as the automatic, but still has more usefulness in the long run.

The graphics have a few flaws, that are not that big a deal. The track textures and the sheen of the cars are wonderful. The CGI scenes are solid and the car physics are very hard.

There are four views: behind the car and slightly above (3^rd-person perspective), through the windshield from the driver’s side, through the windshield from the rear-view mirror and off the front-bumper – no true cockpit vantage point.

TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator has a great suggested retail price of $29.99, and that package contains some solid racing action. This game is worth checking.

TOCA Race Driver 2 is rated Teen.

Gameplay: 8.5
The game is seamless from the start of a race to the end. The controls are somewhat mixed. There is no powershifting, per se, and getting that engine to turn over and then rev high enough to get a quick start is a chore. Because each car handles differently, this game provides a solid gaming challenge.

Graphics: 8.8

For whatever reason, whether it is Colin McRae or TOCA, Codemasters likes to put that little flame-burst from the exhaust in the game – maybe it is a trademark. As a driver, that might mean a fuel leak into the exhaust and would not be conducive to a finely tuned racing machine. The glass-shattering effects are also a little sub-standard, but when it comes to track texturing, the look of the machines, and the shine of the well-rendered skies off the hood, this game is very good.

Sound: 8
The music is a little too much on the elevator side to drive this game’s tempo along. The pit boss comments are well done and not too annoying. The engine rev sounds are solid, but not the best in a racing title. Overall, this is a solid feature, just not a co-star.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

If you jump from the ’68 Mustangs into the Formula Ford, you are in for a big shock in the handling. The Formula car is much testier and little mistakes turn into big errors in a hurry.

Concept: 8.5
The numerous car classes, and variety of tracks make this a very challenging and enjoyable ride.

Multiplayer: 8.4
The single-player race outshines the two-player, but the online play promises to be quite challenging, as long as you don’t get a bunch of players interested in demolition derby.

Overall: 8.7
TOCA Race Driver 2: The Ultimate Racing Simulator is a multi-faceted racing game that puts you behind the wheel of a wide range of vehicles. Each car class handles differently, creating a unique challenge each time you get behind the wheel.