Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli

There are cars to unlock, of course - 32 will ship with the game, going back to a 1957 Testarossa - for use in specific challenges, but this is a game about mastery rather than shopping. It's not about finding shortcuts, but fitting, as closely as you can, into someone else's grand plan. The racing line isn't there on the ground to be beaten, but to be matched.

Visually, the game has an undeniable streamlined beauty. Cars are detailed and alluring, deforming with a crunchy realism, and the tracks are uniformly good-looking. Weather effects can be called in, but the game seems best with its SEGA-style blue skies showing off the shiny hardware. Things are looking relatively sunny in terms of AI, too, with a system of virtual button inputs replacing more traditional splining. "The cars will react to what's around them," says Cale. "The computer can say, 'Do I out-brake this car and try and make it or not?'" AI competitors certainly seem a bit more flexible, shunting each other around and suffering the consequences of over-enthusiastic cornering. It's not Burnout - and the game's 30fps frame rate needed to allow for its AI complexity may upset many - but it's also far from the sedate lunchtime drives of Gran Turismo.

Twelve tracks will ship with the game - regular suspects such as Monza, Hockenheim and Silverstone - and there's sixteen-player LAN or online multiplayer available (split-screen is impossible due to the high poly counts of the models, apparently). There was no sign of the DS, PS2 or Wii versions, which will follow later, although game-sharing is confirmed for the DS and gestural controls for the Wii. The absence of the 360 continues to be something of a mystery, too, with reasons given ranging from sales dilution across the formats to complex licensing issues.

There's no doubting that racing games have hit the skids of late, with Project Gotham Racing 4 underperforming in the shops and SEGA Racing Studios closing its doors following the commercial response to SEGA Rally. Despite this, Cale seems confident: "The racing genre is by far the second-most popular genre in the world after first-person shooters, and the best brand to be associated with is Ferrari." It's still hard not to see the dangers of releasing a game with such a precise agenda, however: Ferrari Challenge may just be too focused for many players, with its intense attention to a single manufacturer being mistaken for a limitation.

Anyone concerned that Ferrari Challenge is merely a brand cash-in can set their worries aside - this is a polished and often stubbornly distinct game, and opts for reverent love rather than cynical exploitation. With DLC adding a new track and five cars every month, Cale's dream is eventually to release every Ferrari ever made; it remains to see whether this kind of content can stop the game from being perceived as a dual of 430s. From what we've played, Ferrari Challenge is confident to carve its own path: it isn't about making your own perfect car, it's about driving someone else's. And luckily, that someone else is Ferrari.