Racing games are a console staple. They're particularly good for casual gamers to blow off a bit of steam after work. It's one genre just set up to take advantage of seventh generation consoles' move into online gaming, and the Xbox 360's flagship title Project Gotham Racing 3 more than holds its own in that environment.

The most noticeable thing about the latest title in this solid series is the increase in graphical quality. Where PGR2 cars averaged about 10 000 polygons, Project Gotham Racing 3's cars are somewhere between eighty and a hundred thousand, about half for the exterior and half for the interior. This means smoother lines on the outside, and a stunning level of authentic detail on the inside. You can see those polygons go really fast right from the start too, because no car in the game fails to do 170mph. They don't believe in starting at the bottom. (For those who like starting at the bottom, or just the idea of driving the Nurburgring in a Mini Cooper, Bizarre regularly uploads new cars to the Xbox Live Marketplace, ensuring you've never seen everything the game has to offer.)

The backgrounds are just as impressive. Considerable research was put into getting each of the five locations - Las Vegas, Tokyo, New York, Nurburgring, and London - to look exactly right. Sound is also impressive. Each individual car doesn't just look like it should, it sounds that way, too. A Ferrari sounds like a Ferrari, not an Aston Martin. Oddly, Porsches have completely disappeared from the game, replaced by RUFs.

Unlike PGR2, Kudos isn't the currency, that's credits. These are earned in a combination of race wins, both online and off, and the Kudos style points. Credits are pretty easy to come by, and allow you to buy new cars and keep progressing through the game - if that's what you're after. They also let you unlock the nine cars that aren't available from the start. The off-line career mode is relatively short, probably in order to encourage players into the online arena, where the game really rocks.

Players with Xbox Live Gold can race against up to seven other gamers online in either career (ranked) or playtime modes. A nice player matching system ensures you won't be immediately out of your depth or affected by horrible lag - you're matched by both rank and network connection. Online also offers a 'capture the track' mode not available offline, where the goal is to set the fastest time over particular sections of track. PGR3 also has global online tournaments.

Xbox Live offers Gotham TV, which allows up to 30 000 players to watch the same race. It might seem a bit weird to watch a game instead of playing, but Gotham TV lets you see the very best players in action.

The physics are patchy. Cars really pull off the line, acceleration making your view shudder as the g forces shake your head around. But running into a wall at top speed costs you momentum and little else. If you're really reckless, you might manage to crack your windshield. The lack of damage modelling is odd, and maybe takes something away from the game, but if it's about destroying things, you might be better off playing the 360's Full Auto instead. Or as well.

Project Gotham Racing is really for the purists. The attention to detail in the graphics is what makes the game stand out from other racers: just watch your windshield as you drive. Accurate reflections pass over, and it gets dirty and splattered as you go. Contemplating the math that goes into rendering both forward and rear-view mirror views at that speed is bound to make you crash.