Hands on with Asphalt 6: Adrenaline for iPhone

Just as race car drivers try their best to squeeze every ounce of power from their high-performance rides, so too does Gameloft push the limits of the iPhone in its arcade racing series.

Rather than tinkering with core mechanics or changing basic features, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline holds fast to a foundation of aggressive, breakneck speed racing and builds tons of new tracks, vehicles, events, and multiplayer features on top.

It's an impressive package, familiar in its continuity with the high velocity action of earlier instalments, yet better thanks to new features and enhanced graphics.

The new single-player campaign is massive: 55 events across 12 tracks, organised according to 11 leagues. New cars - of which there's a grand total of 42 - are unlocked by winning events, which naturally rewards you with cash for purchasing new rides.

Generating your own personal car collection is among several features highlighted in Asphalt 6, aided by a new virtual garage in which you can view your unlocked vehicles in full 3D.

Designed purely for the enthusiast, it's an interesting addition that allows you to check out your cars from a first-person perspective, navigating the garage via a virtual analogue stick.

You're free to personalise your vehicles, swapping colour palettes or applying decals. Performance upgrades will be available too, although these unlock throughout the course of the campaign and must be purchased with cash winnings.

While performance varies respective to each vehicle, all are speed machines that rocket down the street. In line with earlier instalments, Asphalt 6 features ridiculously fast racing that's been ratcheted up through the addition of a new Adrenaline mode.

Distinct from Nitro, Adrenaline mode similarly boosts your car, leaving blue trails behind it as you speed forward. Competitors are highlighted pink, signalling that you can take them out with a supercharged slam. It amps up an already aggressive racing game.

The only concern with this new mode is whether it pushes Asphalt 6 too far, taking off the arcade edge into the realm of absurdity.

Multiplayer is also in the mix, this time with a robust progression system that rewards wins with new ranks and accolades - something that should send replay value soaring, much as it did for shooter Modern Combat 2: Black Pegasus.

A maximum of six players will be supported online via wi-fi, along with local play via wi-fi and Bluetooth. Most of the single-player modes carry over, as well as the tracks.

It's fair to call Asphalt 6 an evolution rather than a complete overhaul. The lengthy single-player campaign, diverse slate of events, and impressive list of licensed vehicles should easily set it apart from the small pack of arcade racers, even if the core gameplay is more of the same.