With the few exceptions of Need for Speed, Gran Turismo and Project Gotham Racing, you may struggle to think of any mainstream arcade style racing simulator series’ that are actually worth remembering, and few developers have tried to break into that group such is the high standard they have set for many years now. However, Race Pro has the potential to be remembered.

Race Pro promises to be a no thrills racing simulation game which more emphasis on giving you a sense of realism, rather than giving you today’s racing game luxuries which are usually taken for granted anyway in all honesty.

From the very beginning you will be welcomed into the game by a highly accessible control system, which is arguably the most important asset to any racing simulator. It really is a true case of pick up and play gaming, and you will be tearing around the wonderful choice of tracks available in Race Pro in absolutely no time at all.

The easy to pick up controls and the nice track selection do come at a cost though, and that cost is graphical beauty. Although the graphics in Race Pro are perfectly acceptable, and do not damage the game’s overall experience in any way what so ever – they are not the high spec graphics you will have come to love and appreciate in the most recent titles from series’ such as Project Gotham Racing, Gran Turismo and Need for Speed. If you are able to see past that though, Race Pro is potentially just as good as any of those – only with more room for improvement which can only mean good things for the future.

Where many games allow you an easy ride in every game mode, Race Pro is different. If you want to enter the career mode then you will have to man up and compete with loads of highly competitive drivers at the professional difficulty setting. This will upset a few racing fans, but the fact is if you are not good enough, you won’t win in Race Pro. The flipside to this is that quality racing gamers, and there are plenty out there, will love the level of competitiveness that Race Pro has to offer, as it does prove to be a challenge which many of us enjoy more than a walk in park you get in some other racing titles.

The career mode is not only competitive, but deep too. Your progression will depend on earning racing contracts with various commercial corporations – and you will have the option of earning your place in their respective teams either by beating a specified lap time and paying a small signing on fee, or by paying your way into their racing line-up which comes at a higher price.

Another bonus for proper racing fans out there is the high customisation level within Race Pro, allowing you to tweak your cars throughout the game as you progress to improve every single aspect of your car in many ways. Improving your car makes a real difference too, so it is one more thing that you need to be on the money with if you are to succeed in Race Pro. Even each different car you race in will feel different which is yet another added bonus which so many racing titles fail to deliver.

With all things considered, Race Pro may not be one of the best racing titles in terms of visual display, but it certainly does not look bad by any means – and what it lacks in graphical beauty it more than makes up for with fantastic accessibility and an addiction level you will not find in other racing simulators. Race Pro is a series to watch, and could be hitting pole position in the genre in future and it is almost the complete racing title.