New on the shelves

We kick off our round-up with a review of latest official F1 game

FIRST TEST F1 2018 Price: £44.99 Rating: Available for: Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC Contact: codemasters.com/game/f1-2018/

THE Formula One title race is no closer to being decided since the sport returned from its mid-season break, but fans can come up with their own winner in F1 2018.

The officially licensed game features all 20 drivers, 10 teams and 21 circuits. Aside from the faithful recreation of the championship, it serves up a healthy dose of realism, whether it’s on-track action, pitlane strategy or the struggle to develop an underpowered Mclaren.

For regular gamers, F1 2018 is fairly similar to previous versions with some minor upgrades, the biggest being a graphical upgrade for cars, circuits and weather. The driving itself can be tweaked between a more arcade style and full simulation depending on how much of a challenge you want, while the artificial intelligence-controlled cars are clever enough to present some fun wheel-to-wheel action.

Career mode has benefited from a welcome boost, too. It’s the best it’s ever been, with the in-depth R&D manager improved from its debut last year and the addition of a reporter who quizzes you before and after races. Your answers help shape the type of driver you are and which team is likely to offer a drive when your contact is up for renewal.

Developer Codemasters offers even more classic cars now, letting you step back in time by driving iconic F1 racers from the seventies through to Jenson Button’s 2009 title-winning Brawn GP.

Thanks to numerous rule changes, each historic car drives and sounds different enough to make this a pleasant break from ploughing through the career mode.

Overall, F1 2018 is the best recreation of the elite tier of motorsport yet and a must for any armchair Lewis Hamilton.