If there’s one breed of human being who is sure to get the hackles rising on every decent person, it’s the boy racer. Forget the straightforward chav (although they two often come hand in hand) – the boy racers we’ve been unfortunate enough to exchange a few short syllables with are not only fully aware of what they are, they’re proud of it and the monstrosities they’ve built from their hard-earned social security benefits. And the wannabe boy racers with their stick-on air intakes and cheap spoilers are even more pathetic. If you’re reading this, consider yourself a boy racer and are driving anything less than a supercharged Alfa Romeo Brera, then throw yourself off the nearest railway bridge immediately. No seriously, do it now.

But EA’s latest celebration of everything that is a boy racer’s fantasy, Need For Speed: Carbon, features all but the wide-bore, road-hogging muppets that you see spinning the ring roads late at night. We have to admit the game has a lot of sex appeal, and we’re not just talking about the incredibly attractive Emmanuelle Vaugier who features in many of the cinematic sequences throughout. From the polished chrome and aerodynamic curves on the bevy of super cars, to the John Woo camera cut and pan that marks the start of a police chase, Carbon is a teenage boy’s wet dream throughout. What we’re saying here, is that EA really hasn’t done a lot to change the basic premise of this fifteenth installment in the franchise since its inception in 1994.

The control mechanic and basic gameplay hasn’t changed much since the last few console episodes either, which puts fans back into a comfortable driving seat – not that it was ever taxing for newbies to the game to pick up. Carbon’s major new features include a Canyon racing mode that punishes you with a long drop into a deep chasm if you misjudge a corner, and a selection of three different wingmen types: blockers, scouts and drafters. These characters are all varying shades of useless, though scouts are notable in that they take the fun out of finding short cuts for yourself.

But, having been a little heavy-handed with our criticism of Carbon so far, it’s still a damn good driving game, and diverse enough in its variety of features and races to keep you interested throughout. The visuals are a little shaky in parts, the frame rate suffers on the odd occasion and the script is every bit as tongue-in-cheek as The Fast And The Furious, but we caught ourselves cussing like a kappaclad SO Nova driver just ten minutes into the game. It’s definitely an infectious title – fans will love it.

Ben Biggs