Petrol heads of the world unite; not only do you have Forza 2 to fulfill your wheel-squealing fantasies, but this month also heralds another big racing name: Colin McRae. And it's in comparing the two titles that the polish of Forza 2 shines, mainly from of its ability to connect with players on several levels.

On one level, the game is a racing simulation that manages to reach a broad audience via its inclusion of many famous car manufacturers, 60fps presentation, real world racing tracks, heaps of driver assists (the racing and brake line is a must for sim newcomers), and an awesome custom painting element that has taken on a life of its own (more on this in a second). On a deeper level, there are a plethora of options, tweaks and custom choices available to those of you who know which end of a wrench to hold and the importance of tyre pressures and the like. Both approaches are just as valid and will yield the same enjoyment out of the game, with the more shallow of us content to leave car specs as-is, while the more perspicacious ‘drivers' out there are free to spend hours perfecting the handling of every vehicle in their garage.

Want a drift racer? Go and set it up. Want something with great traction and excellent handling? Then feel free to fiddle with tyre pressures, wheel angles, gear ratios and plenty of other options that exist in Forza 2's menus like sweet pancake layers just waiting to be devoured.

Much like the seminal Gran Turismo series, which Forza is obviously in direct competition with, your career involves starting out with little cash and a crap-box vehicle, with only your inherent wheel skills and the desire to win able to reap the sweet rewards of cash, cars, upgrades and maybe even a chance to chat with those hot girls that always hang around the winners' podium. However, unlike GT, the road to victory does not involve seven hundred races with the same crappy car, just scraping by on $600 per win. No siree, cash flows thick and fast and it won't be long before you're plugging in turbo kits, popping on racing slicks and burning rubber in your opponents' faces with a malevolent laugh that would rival Dr. Evil's.

There's plenty to spend your money on: other cars, upgrades and, most importantly, online auctions, where a bargain is just another impulsive bid away. The online auction is an interesting beast, predominantly because, combined with the game's art program, it has created cash whores the likes of which eBay would be struggling to lay claim to. Totally unbelievable art pieces are being attached to cars and flogged for millions of credits. Not only this, the auction house is full of opportunistic vultures who will snap up a decent unlocked mural and then on-sell it on their own vehicles for a tidy profit.

The custom decal program itself is... okay. Many will become annoyed with the controller interface and the amount of time that it takes to make anything decent. But the quality of work that's being produced certainly speaks volumes about the program's versatility and people's ability to express themselves.

And then, of course, there's the racing aspect of the game, which is fitting given the amount of work that has gone into the games physics engine and the mathematical simulation of tyre wear and friction contact. As we all know, no driving game will ever get the feeling of driving absolutely correct, and several gainsayers have already flooded the internet with cries of unrealism. But to the layperson who's only driving experience involves going to the local shops and maybe a quick trip to the drycleaners in their Hyundai excel, Forza 2 provides plenty of driving thrills – and all at a lovely 60 frames per second. This certainly makes a difference, as a quick comparison to DiRT will cement in your mind that the higher frame rate really does jump out and act to make Forza 2 a crisp, clear and impressive experience.

I don't claim to be much of a grease monkey, but it's noticeable from the get go that the tyre technology and physics really do drive this game (excuse the pun). Upgrading to racing tyres has an immediate effect on a car's handling, and with the options of tweaking tyre pressures and so forth the mind really does boggle at the different variations in handling, and thus player experience, that can be, well, experienced.

Career mode sees you working your way through the Proving Grounds, up into the Amateur league and Pro league and maybe you'll even dip your grease-stained foot into a few Endurance races just for the hell of it. Interestingly, you actually level up throughout your career, almost like an RPG, with credits punching you through level five, ten and so on. Therefore, the more races you earn, the more moola you get and the faster you level up, which in turn unlocks events that require a particular level. Leveling up earns you discounts on cars. Leveling your car itself earns you discounts on upgrades.

Forza 2's career mode forces you to collect vehicles of different types, as many sections are only able to be completed by fulfilling car, country, make or drive-type restrictions – which in turn makes earning money to buy cars a necessity if you want to complete all that the career mode has to offer. This creates a dangling-carrot situation that's not entyrely unpleasant and indeed can be quite addictive, creating a ‘just one more race' mentality – for four hours!

Arcade and Time Trials are also (somewhat predictably) available, which allow you to choose from all vehicle classes and race on a track of your choice. In terms of AI, Forza 2 is quite good; cars are generally aggressive and more reactive than, say, GT's automatons. But you'll still witness them stick to the driving line like glue. It's also possible that the AI will never bother you, because it's fairly easy to upgrade your car far beyond the competition so that the only whiff you'll ever get is their exhaust fumes as you come up to lap them.

This is easily rectified by bumping up the difficulty level (there is a distinct difference here, with medium and hard really giving you a run for your money), which in turn increases the amount of credits that you earn per race – in conjunction with bonuses from turning off some or all of the many assists (ABS, Traction Control, Brake Line etc.). The harder and faster you race, the more you're rewarded, and the system feels quite good.

Online integration is smooth and seamless – it really is super easy to hop on, browse the auction house, race with a mate, and then maybe even try to qualify for an online tournament. Personally, it doesn't come much better than arsing around with mates, and I did find online players to be a lot more aggressive than the game's AI. It might even benefit you to hop online and test your skills before delving into the game's career mode.

If this all seems really positive, that's because Forza 2 is simply a very polished and well-presented product. The only real downsides to the game are directly related to your own expectations. If you've driven cars at insane speeds then you'll likely find flaws in the driving engine, which will cause you to espouse quotes like "It doesn't even come close to simulating the real thing,” which isn't exactly the sort of thing the developers want to hear. But ask them and they'll probably tell you that it's pretty much impossible to get it 100% right, and they should certainly be admired for having a darn good stab at providing a simulation environment.

The other problem is that this environment does feel quite sterile. And once again it's in comparison to DiRT that Forza 2's sterility is, in contrast, stark and solitary. There are no discernable crowds (yes they are in the grandstands, but are they standing on an outcrop of rock waiting for you, waving and cheering, like in DiRT?); when you crash there are noticeable texture layers that look a bit odd; in fact, the whole game feels like a set-up verisimilitude – as if the developers have said "Here's all this cool physics and stuff, now go have fun.” They're not trying to hide the fact that it's a game, and the immersion factor suffers because of it.