Tour de France 2011
Spoked.
Stages, too, are authentic, but again to a fashion. Rather than presenting you with a stage in all of its arse-numbing, 200k-plus entirety, they're each broken down into manageable sections, taking in highlights of the course; typically, it's the start, a sprint in the middle and the final mad dash to the line, each coming in at around 10k and ensuring that stages still take a healthy 10-15 minutes to complete.
More importantly, each gradient has been authentically mapped (which means, in lieu of the game offering any worthwhile assistance, guides such as the Guardian's can come in terribly handy). It's close to the real thing, though that's providing you're watching the Tour with a plastic bag over your head.
There's a paucity to the visuals that indicates the game's modest roots. Riders are all one model, as, disappointingly for those with a bike fetish, are the rides themselves. The environments fare a little better: the Tour is one long OutRun stage, all rolling hills, runs through small towns and scenic Alpine routes, and that much is intact if a little wonky.
They're enough to soothe you into Tour de France's gentle rhythm, though, and it's as stealthily engaging as an afternoon spent transfixed by the race itself. Stages are best attacked with discipline and reserve, and the tactics soon begin to unfold. Though you're in control of a single rider, orders can be implemented through a radio earpiece. It's as clunky as a rusty Raleigh in its implementation, but it runs the full gamut of options: riders can be sent to the front of the peloton to up its pace, ordered to break away or tasked with protecting you should you want to make the break yourself.
Races are satisfyingly organic, and the high-speed shepherding of the 132-thick peloton becomes incredibly engrossing. It's soon clear that it's best not to race for glory yourself, but rather play as a domestique, riding to and from teammates and orchestrating a grand plan. The game recognises and rewards that too, and earning the Maillot Jaune for one of your comrades is as good as winning it for your own back.
And winning the yellow jersey isn't everything; cycling's a sport that's rich with meta-achievements, whether that's punching for mid-race sprint points or making a bid to be king of the mountains - and sometimes, a solid afternoon's work in the peloton is reward enough.
Tour de France 2011 is ultimately, however, a little too confident in the appeal of the Tour itself, offering nothing beyond the 21 stages and not even making a cursory attempt at multiplayer. You'll have to bring a passion of your own to see through the game's many deficiencies, but it'll be a passion shared by the developer of this endearing curio.