DiRT 3

In the preview code we went hands-on with the DC Compound – one of only two elements of the game Codemasters has made playable to date – serves a couple of key roles. Most immediately, it showcases DiRT 3's excellent damage model.

A few minutes in, following a high-speed encounter with a concrete block, a misjudged dirt jump and sideways arguments with an excavator's arm and a lorry's trailer, Ken's Monster Ford Fiesta was holding onto little of the lovingly detailed bodywork it began the session with.

The other aspect so brilliantly highlighted by the gymkhana event is the intricacy of the handling model. Codemasters has used feedback from Block and IRC champion Kris Meeke (mentored during his early years by McRae, fittingly) to ensure the cars in DiRT 3 feel right.

There's also been technical input from the likes of Bowler on damper response characteristics which, in turn, affect weight transfer behaviour, and the way cars load up the tyres and suspension.

Keen to break traction at the slightest blip of the throttle, the 600bhp gymkhana Fiesta is a handful, sure - yet driving it never feels frustrating. It doesn't take long to get the hang of gloriously long drifts.

That said, mastering the vehicle to Ken Block's standards will involve some effort – as it should – and considerable carnage. It will also prove hugely rewarding. (When you do get there, do as the man does: at the touch of a button you can upload your performance to YouTube.)

Jump in an Audi Quattro to blast through a fast Finland stage and the evolved handling model reveals a little more of its character. Along with the feeling of increased weight in the vehicles, compared with DiRT 2's approach, comes greater feedback.

This is a result of the way the car reacts more realistically to changes in the road surface, combined with the increased yet still delicate use of controller pad rumble. You can apply real-world techniques – as demonstrated by Kris Meeke on Codemasters's D-Box hydraulic-powered simulator running a PC version of DiRT 3 – and the car behaves as you would expect it to.

Ultimately, the acid test for any rally game is the intensity of the experience it offers. Powering through Finnish forests at 90-plus mph, the deafening Quattro roar masking the frantic clicks of the analogue stick as you battle to keep Audi's beast from firing you into a tree, promises to be one of the most exhilarating digital racing encounters yet.

More will be divulged before the game's planned Q2 2011 release, of course. It'll be interesting to see if the EGO engine can handle the planned split-screen option (a first for the series) with the same aplomb as it does the single-player alternative. Then there's the eight-player online feature along with an all-new selection of Party Mode offerings.

For now, though, DiRT 3 is on course to deliver the immense amount of fun you'd expect from the series. However, there's also a renewed focus on balancing the content and revising the handling characteristics.

Will this be enough to ensure the finished production enthralls both casual and dedicated rally game fans? When the time comes, let Codemasters know - it will be listening.