Forza Motorsport 4

Added to this, though, is Rivals, a new mode that offers up asynchronous online play. Spinning off from Need for Speed's Autolog, while it's not quite as neat as its inspiration the appeal is undimmed. A broad selection of track and car combinations are offered, some presenting stock machines while others invite you to bring a vehicle of your own, and from there it's simple - just drive, and drive fast against times that are pulled from your friend's list and, when the competition dries out, from the wider world of Forza. It's here, drilling down into the extremities of one particular car and exploring the limits of a given track, that Forza 4 shines the very brightest.

There are other, duller moments too, though they're ones that seem endemic with the series. The AI opposition are, quite frankly, jerks. Some none-too-subtle rubber banding keeps the racing close, though all too often it's a little too close - other cars will have little concern for your whereabouts on the track, carelessly bumping into you when you've right of way and unhelpfully parking on apexes and braking on a corner's exit when they're in front.

The World Tour, while tidied up around the edges, remains something of a slog. It's wise enough to never overly restrict you, tailoring the events drawn in to the car you're currently driving or to those that reside in your garage, but it's largely lifeless - as soothing as Peter Egan's voiceover is, it's hardly the compelling thread that Forza 4 needs - and it's hampered by a handful of other concerns.

It can, however, be ignored, and Forza 4's kind enough to reward players wherever they may find themselves in the game. Indeed, Forza 4's pleasingly generous; the route to level 50 is greatly speeded up, and at each tier you're awarded with a choice of three cars, while an Affinity level rewards you for staying loyal to any given manufacturer. That Ferrari 330 P4, a car that would require weeks of dedication to acquire in Gran Turismo 5, can be at your fingertips in around 12 hours here.

Car Clubs add a communal sense to the car collecting, allowing players to share cars between one another. Helpful, given that the economics of Forza 4 can conversely seem a little less giving. Credits are drip-fed slowly, a decision that seems particularly miserly in light of the ability to buy tokens on Xbox Live's Marketplace with real money, which can then be used to buy cars in-game.

It's a car list that, while beautifully realised across the board, is missing some of the eccentric exotica that Gran Turismo 5 excels in, and if Polyphony are accused of a slant towards anonymous Japanese machinery then Turn 10 are equally guilty of overindulging in US muscle cars.

It's an American twang also present in a track list that sadly adds little to Forza 3's already well-worn offerings. The Bernese Alps, a dazzling fictional run through snow-capped peaks, provides the kind of spectacle that fellow debutant Hockenheimring - a once great track forever ruined by the scalpel of Hermann Tilke and here in its mutilated form - lacks.

The two new American tracks are equally divisive; Indianapolis, for all its prestige, provides a tepid drive, leaving Infineon Raceway the unlikely star of the new additions. A run through the dust of California, it's a collection of blind crests and impossible cambers that's a delight to drive, providing the perfect arena for Forza 4's tail-happy handling.

There is, of course, the Top Gear track too, which is here exploited much further than it was by Polyphony last year. The inclusion of the Kia Cee'd - the show's reasonably priced car - helps, as does the aping of camera angles in replays, but otherwise the licence feels if not underused then a little misappropriated.

Events in the World Tour mode are limited to automotive ten-pin bowling, a half-hearted attempt to replicate the bawdy humour of the show, and a handful of themed events are threaded into Rivals mode. Jeremy Clarkson's presence helps as a stamp of authority as he lends his voice to Autovista, Forza 4's Kinect-enabled showroom mode, but he brings a strangely diluted brand of his humour in a partnership that feels forced.

The same can be said for the partnership between Forza 4 and Kinect. Autovista's cute but limited, with only 25 of the game's 500 cars available for close scrutiny, and the ability to drive without a controller, while pleasantly responsive, is limited even for the more casual audience it's designed for. Of all the Kinect functionality it's the voice commands that prove the most useful, providing a swift and easy way to navigate through Forza's maze of menus.

It's ultimately however just one small part of a package that's grown broader, deeper and has done much more besides. The series' steely heart has softened, revealing a game that's as exhaustive as it is exhilarating and that's now been infused with a little extra passion. Forza has always been a series to admire, but now it's a little easier to fall in love with it too.