Xpand Rally is hard to get in the US, being a UK import. The full game
seems OK, the physics seem fairly complicated and there are quite a few
setups options to tweak and parts to buy. The graphics are also very good.
On the downside is the sheer difficulty. There are really only two
difficulty settings- arcade and simulation. Arcade mode uses the same
physics but has alot of driver helps of some sort. It seems to take alot of
fun out of the driving of the car. Like alot of European games, the
difficulty is quite high to start out, and most of the tracks are locked out
in a linear progression in the career mode. The first track is relatively
easy, but the second track is murderously hard, having alot of narrow,
twisty roads. If you damage your car severely, too, it can be career
ending, as you will quickly run out of money to repair the car. The damage
model seems fairly brutal, too, especially as it models damage to the driver
as well. (head injury causes screen blurring, an arm injury reduces steering
inputs, etc.) I'd rate the difficulty of the career mode as alot greater
than Colin McRae Rally 4/2005.
