By Christopher Lim

CAR-racing games have long been a reliable way to indulge in the sensation of speed without incurring the wrath of the law or suffering a real crash. But they remain gratifying only if they feature a current selection of cars and race tracks.

That's why Forza Motorsport 3 should get fans of racing games especially excited when it is released exclusively for the Xbox 360 next month. Many interesting sports cars have appeared on the roads since the game's predecessor hit store shelves two years ago, and they have been re-created in loving detail in the new instalment.

Fancy trying the souped-up BMW M3 race car the Rahal Letterman Racing team used to dominate the American Le Mans endurance competition last month? It will be there in all its over-the-top glory, complete with realistic handling characteristics and a glorious engine soundtrack.

How about a Nissan 370Z? The curvy Japanese coupe will also be in Forza Motorsport 3's stable of 400 cars - and will be as fun to look at on your television as to drive to its limits on famous race tracks like Nurburgring and Suzuka.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game will be its range of sensible regular cars like the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, which you can find on Singapore roads by the hundreds.

Playing the game with a car you could actually afford - and perhaps already own - will blur the line further between reality and computer game fiction.

Customising your car in the game will be at least as much fun as the racing segments, and gamers will likely spend hours tuning minute details of their fantasy rides. Even the interiors of the cars have been modelled with obsessive accuracy, as have engine and suspension modifications.

The ability to tweak car models to extreme degrees opens up the possibility of crafting a Toyota Yaris so heavily modified that it can overtake exotic Italian supercars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

That's an immensely entertaining prospect. And even more so when you consider that Forza Motorsport 3's Livery Editor will allow you to put almost any graphic onto your cars. You could create unlikely combinations like an aggressive-looking Porsche covered with a photo of your four-year-old daughter sticking out her tongue - which could be the perfect taunt for opponents when you use the multi-player mode via Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Gold online service.

Fonza Motorsport 3 will be a car geek's paradise - but casual gamers haven't been ignored. If all you want to do is enjoy the pretty graphics without sending your car hurtling off a cliff at ludicrous speeds, there will be useful hand-holding features such as automatic braking.

"Forza Motorsport 3" will be available next month, exclusively for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console, at an estimated US$59.99 retail price for the regular edition and US$79.99 for the limited collector's edition

This article was first published in The Business Times.