Raging Thunder

The iPhone's been very gradually showing its teeth when it comes to racing games, dabbling with the usefulness of the accelerometer for steering and becoming more and more adventurous visually.

Cro-Mag Rally started things off in pretty good style, while Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D and Asphalt 4: Elite Racing really kicked things into gear. Now Polarbit (the developer behind Nitro Kart) has upped the ante once again with Raging Thunder, an arcade racer that's as close to a console driving game as the iPhone has thus far seen.

The first thing to notice about Raging Thunder (other than the superbly macho title, which sums the game up beautifully) is the outstanding visuals. This is a game that easily rivals a PlayStation 2 title with beautifully detailed vehicles and environments. Even more impressive is the phenomenal sense of speed and smooth performance. At no point does the game slow down – even when four racing cars jam together on the screen.

All the outstanding visuals in the world wouldn't make up for lumbering gameplay speed, so it's this aspect above the visuals that really makes Raging Thunder shine. Races are further energized by turbo power-ups activated by touching the left side of the screen. At the other end, laughing skulls icons rob you of your boost or, if the gauge is empty, slow your car down for a few valuable moments.

Tailgating an opponent fills a 'tackle' gauge, which, when activated (by touching the right side of the screen), boosts you into the leading car. The result sends your opponent spinning off the road and rockets you ahead. It doesn't come into play a great deal, but when it does it really heightens the drama.

The accelerometer works particularly well here, in large part thanks to an appropriate sensitivity setting. A calibration option would improve responsiveness, especially given the tendency to veer slightly to the right when the handset is held in landscape mode. Alternately, the touchscreen controls are quite horrible. Don't be tempted to test drive them.

The other blinding feature of Raging Thunder is the wi-fi multiplayer. All players must be connected to the same wireless network, which enables up to four drivers to race simultaneously. It goes without saying this makes up for the dimwit opponents (well, sort of, depending on who else is playing) and really brings the game to vibrant, often hilarious, life.

But it's not all powerful storm clouds and roses. Presumably to keep the game speed up to its consistently high-octane pace, other aspects had to be curtailed. One is a complete lack of any other traffic. A slate of entertaining and varied modes glosses over this shortcoming, particularly wi-fi multiplayer. Racing with up to three friends proves infinitely more exciting than bolting around town with blockhead computer-controlled racers that hardly behave like intelligent drivers.

Raging Thunder is a blindingly-fast, gorgeous racer that speeds into notoriety. While it doesn't possess the same polish as Asphalt 4, it brings the same thrills and flashy visuals that make it a most worthwhile drive.