Forza Motorsport 3 is the latest “realistic racing simulator” from Turn 10, and features hundreds of real world cars lovingly recreated in digital form. As with most games in this genre, your aim is to rise through the ranks, and to become the best of the best in a series of progressively tougher races.

It’s a simple sounding premise, however Forza 3 deceptively hides a challenge for complete racing n00bs & hardened race fans alike. With a host of customisable options, difficulty can be tailored to suit your needs and in no time at all you’ll pushing for gold at the chequered line.

The main career is split into 6 distinct “years,” which you can fill with a number of minor tournaments while also racing through that year’s championship. Each race will earn you money to spend on new cars and upgrades, as well as experience points. Experience points are applied to both your driver and your car, and earn you discounts on a number of upgrade parts.

While the main championship car types and classes will be decided for you, you’ll be able to choose from a number of various tournaments which vary greatly in difficulty. These tournaments can be focused around specific themes (GT vs Camero, for example), giving you the chance to get comfortable with advanced car classes at a pace which suits you.

It’s this approach that makes Forza Motorsport 3 so accessible to anyone who picks it up. Coupled with the difficulty tailoring, Forza 3 can be as easy or as tough as you want it to be; and you can adjust the settings at any time. The Multiplayer aspect of Forza Motorsport 3 is just as customisable, allowing you to easily tailor a game around anything you desire. Want to race a specific car, class, or make? It’s done, with a few simple menu selections.

The only real disappointments I could find with this game lie with its limited soundtrack, and its sometimes complicated menu systems. While the rather bland music selection can easily be addressed by using your own music library, the interface has no such escape clause. The mountain of customisation options on offer can sometimes leave you lost and desperately searching for whatever it is you’re looking for. This is clearly evident while trying to select a game mode for play. Strangely split between Freeplay and Career, some of these options are buried where you’d least expect them. It leaves me wondering if this aspect of the game was outsourced during development to a crazy man, as all the polish and attention to detail is severely lacking in this area.

The menus would be a minor niggle (as the music is), if only the player didn’t have to spend so much time navigating them; and as such they can be a little frustrating at first.

Overall, Forza Motorsport 3 is my favourite racer of 2009, and one that definitely made me appreciate the genre. If you’re after a fun and engaging “high octane” experience, look no further; Forza Motorsport 3 has it all, and then some.

8/10

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