Lifters, Shifters, And Drifters

If these people find messing around with cranes, and tumbling down hillsides in jelly-tyred juggernauts half as entertaining as I do then Rigs Of Rods should sweep the board at next year's IGF.

The version the judges will be playing was unveiled yesterday. Bigger, better, and beautiful-er than before, it's one of two excellent freeware automotive sims released this month.

BMW M3 Challenge is the other one. Though it only sports a single car type (the titular Teutonic coupe) and a pair of tracks (two different configurations of the Nurburgring) this Blimey-made driveable billboard has the kind of authoritative physics, solid AI, and generous selection of modes (time trial, full race weekends, MP...) that most payware race sims would kill for.

There’s a strong odour of the marvellous GT Legends - so strong in fact, it’s possible (though not easy) to import your favourite GTL tracks.