This is the latest and thirteenth instalment in the ever popular Need for Speed franchise. This franchise has been extremely popular in South Africa and previous incarnations such as Need for Speed: Pursuit was at one time the staple of any racing-car gamer.

Now with this latest model what has really changed? Well for starters instead of the open-world experience so popular in other releases Need for Speed: Shift (NFS) has gone extremely old-school with fixed racing tracks. These tracks are based upon real world tracks and are extremely accurate.

There is also no storyline in this version. While some people may enjoy playing a character, this game is pure racing. There is no girl to rescue, brother to avenge or father to make proud. You race for points to upgrade, upgrade and upgrade.

Now as this is a recent release one would expect the graphics to be phenomenal. And they are. They are excellent, realistic and when you take that hairpin bend at 180 km/h anybody sitting next to you will feel their stomach lurch.

The reason for this is that unlike other racing games where a third-person view slightly behind and above the vehicle is preferred, NFS has a cockpit view which will make you feel like the Stig.

The major downside though is that the handling is not the best ever. The difference between four-wheel drive, front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive is negligible which does not make for a realistic racing experience.

But if you are interested in a fun game with high-octane adrenalin racing then this game might just be for you.