Anyone who loves cars wishes they could afford a Ferrari, right? The harsh reality is though that most people cant, so they will need to keep on dreaming or playing video games which are graced with these supercars. So enter developers System 3 and their brand new PS3 racer, Ferrari Challenge (Trofeo Pirelli) with it’s 32 different types of Ferrari’s, which as I’m sure you will agree, should be enough to keep even the biggest dreamer happy.

Ferrari Challenge is a tribute to one of the greatest racing car manufacturers out there, each of the games 32 cars are lovingly recreated and although probably not as fun as driving the real thing, when you hear the roar from each of them it makes it a whole lot easier imagining you really are behind the wheel.

The main action in Ferrari Challenge comes in the form of the games single player challenge mode, here you race a F340 through 14 worldwide tracks, such as Misano, Silverstone and Monza. The worldwide challenge is split into three regions, Italy, Europe and America. The challenge begins with a race weekend which includes a qualifier followed by two 15 minute races, the time taken to get to the end here does feel quite over the top, however you can reduce the 15 minutes down to a more reasonable length. New vehicles can be unlocked using the points earned after participating in a race and although it does seems to take a while to unlock all of the Ferrari’s, it is worth it once you get your hands on them.

So what of the racing itself, well System 3 have included a rather clever driving assist, which is one of the best I have seen and should help drivers new to the game get used to the tracks. The driving line is similar to most racing games in that it tells you the best route to take in order to prepare for taking a corner, however were it differs is that the green line will turn red on approach to a corner meaning that it is time for you to brake, once you have tackled the corner the line will then turn amber followed by green again meaning that you should begin accelerating out of the corner. While this may sound simple, it is an ingenious way of teaching you how to drive these cars and it really does help in the beginning of the game when you are still getting used to the speed of the Ferrari’s.

Once you have got used to the tracks and dropped all of the driving aids the game really comes into it’s own, the handling of the cars is excellent, though be warned you will be punished should you not take a corner correctly, more than likely by crashing into a wall or skidding onto the gravel. Ferrari Challenge will also punish you if you try to be smart and skip corners, when you attempt manoeuvres such as this a penalty flag will appear on the screen, causing your car to slow down for a few seconds until your penalty has passed, so be warned don’t cheat.

On the track Ferrari Challenge really is one of those games were putting your drivers foot to the floor and speeding round the track brings hours of fun, there is a real sense of speed and power in each of the cars included and once you get used to each of them you may just find this game hard to put down.

Unlike games such as Gran Turismo, car damage has been included, however it is slightly lame, crashing at high speeds tends not to do too much to your car. In addition damage caused doesn’t affect the handling of your car, unlike in other games such as Race: Driver Grid.

Other areas of the game out with the challenge mode include an Arcade mode which gets you into the action quickly, as well as a sort of Ferrari Top Trumps, which is great fun and quite interesting. Elsewhere a decal system is included, which is a bit like a limited version of the one included in Forza 2 on the Xbox 360. Using the decal system you can customise your car in anyway you see fit, which at least sets this game apart from others on the Playstation 3.

Ferrari Challenge also includes a 16 player online mode and although it is a fairly barebones system there is enough here to get racing against others and have a lot of fun while doing so. The real omission as far as multiplayer is concerned is a split screen mode, the game would have been so much better off with one, however it seems to be the way these days that this once great feature always gets overlooked.

Graphically, while not the best looking game in the world, Ferrari Challenge does have its charms, the wet weather effects are pretty stunning and all of the backdrops add a certain charm, so although it may never rival the PS3’s other exclusive racer in looks, it certainly doesn’t disappoint. The sound is also of a decent standard, the cars all purr in a realistic fashion and this really adds to the experience. It has to be said though that the soundtrack really sucks (of course that’s a personal viewpoint). Whether System 3 will add a patch for custom soundtracks remains to be seen, but it would be good if they did.

Overall Ferrari Challenge is a very decent game, it offers a fun and realistic driving experience in 32 of the best cars you will ever drive and it gives you a real buzz at the same time. Sure this game may have its flaws but if you love Ferrari and racing then this is an experience you shouldn’t let pass you by.

Overall Rating: 8.3/10