Reckless Racing 3

Reckless Racing 3 is an undeniably slick production. Every tap or tilt of the device feels solid and dependable, and the shiny graphics and neat UI make everything easy to process.

Yes, it's more of the same. A vaguely Skidmarks-inspired, almost top-down racer that sees you hurtling through dirt tracks and concrete roads as fast as you possibly can.

But it's more of the same done well, and it adds enough new ideas and modes that newcomers and veterans alike will find something to sink their teeth into.

It might lack some of the energetic urgency of the original game, but this is still a dramatic and worthy new addition to the series.

Finger to the screen

The aim of the game is building up your garage by winning races and tournaments. You start off with a bog-standard C-class buggy, and start the hard work from there.

It's not just about racing though. There are Drift and Gymkhana events to tackle as well, and you'll need separate cars for each of the disciplines.

Drift is essentially about spending as much time as you can sideways. You earn points for sliding around corners, and chaining together drifts earns you even more.

Gymkhana sees you tackling a pre-set track of obstacles in a Ken Block-style race against the clock. You're donuting around barrels, smashing through piles of boxes, and trying not to clip any cones.

That was a hot lap

There's Hot-Lap as well, which sees you tearing around a track trying to set the best time. It's sort of like practice for career mode, but it's still pretty entertaining.

The actual races are the real star of the show though. The first few in your career are reasonably simple to win, but after that the game levels the playing field and things get much more interesting.

Tracks are littered with obstacles. From crates and barrels to barrier-free drops into the ocean, and they pose as much of a threat to your progress as your opponents.

At the same time there's something deeply satisfying about drifting around a corner, nudging a rival as you overtake them, and sending them spinning into a brief watery grave.

There's a decent variety to the raceways, from crumbling castle walls to the leaking ruins of a nuclear power plant, there's enough here to keep you interested.

Going nuclear

There are a few niggles here and there. Sometimes the scenery can obscure your vision, and early on if you make a decent start you might end up spending the entire race on your own.

It's in the rough and tumble of the chasing pack that Reckless Racing 3 really finds its feet, and when you're away from that the little frustrations become that much more obvious.

Still there's a huge lump of game here, and when it gets things right you can't help but grin from ear to ear.

It just about gets the balance between precision and insanity right, there are multiple, moveable control schemes, and you can crash a truck into a beach buggy.

Reckless Racing 3 might not add that much more to the template the series has lived by, but it's a polished and preened little beast, and it's well worth a look if you've got petrol in your veins.