Race Driver 2006 offers some serious racing simulation, a welcome change from the standard arcade-style racers. The many types of cars, tracks, and formats all offer different handling and racing experiences. WiFi mode has multi-player game sharing for up to four players, and up to 12 players if all have their own UMDs.

The controls are excellent, but it takes some time to get used to the more realistic driving physics and differences between cars and tracks. Going off-track will cause spinouts or damage to the vehicle. The cars are beautifully modeled, and as damage increases it not only shows up visually on specific areas but affects performance appropriately.

The tracks and environments are impressive, with interactive objects and obstacles throughout. Sound effects differ between cars and tracks, and the team manager announces updates on player performance, the competition, and physical status of the car.

Race Driver 2006's only problem is the sheer difficulty of such an exacting simulation. Be prepared to repeat events at least several times until understanding the differences between tracks and car handling. While it's impressive overall, Race Driver 2006 is better suited for fans of racing simulations rather than general audiences.

Ridge Racer is back again with the familiar arcade-drift racing. There are four modes of play: World Tour, Single Race, Time Trial, and Wireless (local Wi-Fi head-to-head with other PSP users). Wi-Fi mode allows up to 8 players to compete.

When first starting the World Tour, this Ridge Racer appears almost identical to the last few versions available for the PS2 and PSX, but new cars and prizes (movies and car concept designs) become available after conquering the tours from the previous games. The races are short enough to make them great for bursts of on-the-go gaming.

The graphics and scenery are enhanced by the PSP's widescreen format. The PSP handles the framerates perfectly, even in the higher classes with faster cars that create mind-numbing speeds. Fortunately, the reflections and motion blurs are just enough and not overdone or distracting. The soundtrack offers not only Ridge Racer classics, but newer selections as well. As the races are won, more music is available for selection during game-play. The background tracks are varied and impressive.

Ridge Racer offers many hours of game-play in both stand-alone and Wireless modes, and it has been one of our most replayed titles.