Rallisport Challenge 2 is as every bit as good as the original and more. The game features over 40 licensed cars, each having its own distinct handling. Players can pretty much tweak the performance of their chosen vehicle to whatever they like, including gear ratios, suspension, brakes, and tires. The changes do not take effect immediately; so you may need to pick a car first that conforms to your driving style as some of them can be sluggish and others can be tight-grip. Don't worry too much about not getting the right car the first time. The controls in this game are superb. Whatever vehicle you choose, you wouldn't be fighting for the control at every turn you make. The brake system allows you to slide around the corner without spinning out of track.

The game offers five types of races, which includes your usual rally races, hill climb, crossover, rally cross, and ice racing. Players can choose single-race, time-trial, or career mode. The career mode is the place where you can unlock new car designs, more advanced vehicles, and hidden tracks. You will need rally points to get these secret items. If you fare better in your standings, you might just open up new rallies on your chosen career mode. You'd be glad to know that there are at least 90 courses available; but some of them are just slight adaptation of the existing ones. You can choose from four levels of difficulty: amateur, pro, champion, and super-rally. The amateur and pro levels don't offer much of a challenge. To experience the game's true potential, either set it to champion or super-rally.

The best feature to come out in this year's Rallisport 2 is car damage. Digital Illusions wanted to focus more on realism and so every part of your car is now susceptible to massive wreck. You probably wouldn't get enough of seeing your car absorb so much damage with windshield busted open; the front and rear bumpers give way; or one of your tires goes out flying! However, crashing your car often can seriously affect your driving experience. Your vehicle may end up inoperable if the game's heavy damage option is turned on. In the graphics side of things, it only takes one look to realize that Rallisport 2 has some of the best car models to date. The vehicles are just oozing with shiny paint job that reflects the surrounding background.

Every track looks visually stunning and the same comment goes to the game's damage effects. The little enhancements such as dirt kicking off your tires, the fog that hovers around the track, and the water that streak down on your windshield make racing experience all the more convincing. In the audio department, the sounds are as good as the game's visual presentation. Each car produces its own unique engine noise. The sounds of your vehicle crashing into barriers and your tires screeching off a powerslide couldn't be better. As for music, Rallisport 2 is made up of heavy metal soundtracks, which suit well for this type of adrenaline-charged atmosphere. Most of them instrumental but you can change to load up your own custom set.

Overall, Rallisport Challenge 2 is a worthy racing title to add to your Xbox collection. The game sticks to the series' patented gameplay. You don't have to do battle with the controls in trying to keep your driving part steady. This year, Rallisport 2 spices up its lineup of new features by having an awesome Xbox Live support and realistic damage modeling. When you sum up all the great things Rallisport 2 has to offer, you just can never go wrong with this game. The graphics are amazing. However, there are occasional pop-ups here and there. You'll notice some pixilated textures when you're too close to certain objects. Other than that, the entire presentation looks incredible. The sounds are as realistic as they are going to get. With custom soundtrack support, you'll be rocking to your own crazy tunes. This is a must-buy for any racing fans.