There is a place. A place between the greasy, metallic tang of 'Gran Turismo' and the screeching, smouldering rubber of 'Burnout'. A magical place.

In this place we have the choice and expanse of 'Gran Tursimo', but also the adrenaline and intensity of 'Burnout'. Even better, in this place we also have charm and style and a sense of purpose.

We call this place 'GRID'.

'GRID's' developers, Codemasters, aren't amateurs when it comes to racing games. Previous efforts include recommended titles like the 'TOCA' series and the 'Colin McRae' rally games. 'GRID' is their latest effort in the 'Racer Driver' series which wraps it's gameplay around a superficial, though mildly entertaining story.

The team at Codemasters have looked at every trick in the racing game book, took what works and added a few new innovations. What they achieved is balance.

'GRID' offers its players challenge, but very little frustration. It deftly treads the line between casual and hardcore; working as a game that keeps you up till 4am, but also being able to entertain you for a quick, 15-minute session.

The bulk of the game is the single-player "Grid World" where you enter various races from all over the world, collect cash, entertain sponsors, buy more cars, and hire a team-mate. The obvious point here is to win all of the game's 50 events and become the greatest race driver alive.

What keeps 'GRID' interesting is that it's never just straight out races with an ever-escalating power level in the cars. True, you will get more powerful cars as you progress, but what you have to do with them changes ever so slightly between events. One minute you're dicing through the streets of San Francisco in your V8 litre-eater; the next you're on a track in Europe pushing metal in a 5L German monster.

Not all of the events will appeal to everyone, but if something isn't working for you, there are plenty of other things to do, including touring, GT, and pro muscle.

To further illustrate the game's sense of variety, 'GRID' also includes touge events (crazy Japanese mountain racing on really, really narrow roads), the legendary Le Mans 24 endurance race and crashtastic demolition derbies. Whatever events you decide to compete in, placing well will earn you reputation points. Earn enough and you unlock the next tier of events.

Progression through the three tiers in each region opens more sponsorship options for your racing team and provides an interesting new way to earn money in games. Plastering sponsor logos all over your cars can help you earn serious cash provided you achieve the objectives each sponsor requires.

Placing the logos affects more than just the appearance of your car, it actually has an effect on how much you can earn. The system adds a new dimension to the game without detracting from the real purpose of racing.

'GRID's' most talked about innovation is flashback. Innovative is probably the wrong word, but as far as I'm aware it's never been done in a racing game before. Flashback is the ability to reverse time for a few seconds, much like you could in 'Prince of Persia'.

If your race suddenly takes a turn for the worse (and by worse I mean merging your car with the side of a mountain), simply rewind time to just before that moment and continue with the foreknowledge that merging with a mountain does not win races.

The system seems initially incongruous with the style of game, but the limited number of flashbacks helps to mitigate the frustration often found in racing games. And it never feels like cheating — it just seems to work.

Speaking about crashes, the quality of 'GRID's' superb visuals is best exemplified in its highly convincing damage model. Slam your car into another car or the environment and there'll be bits and pieces of glass, metal, and rubber flying all over. It's visceral and incredibly cool watching the smashing and crashing — especially in the demolition events. 'GRID's' visuals are simply delectable eye candy.

Even better is the fact that the damage isn't just cosmetic. Abuse your car enough and it will start to affect performance. Your speed, power, and handling can decrease significantly if you're not careful. Plus, any debris left on the track becomes potential hazards for the remainder of the race.

Another thing that 'GRID' does really well is the interface, which is downright elegant. Navigation through the menus is intentionally streamlined so you spend as little time there as possible and more time where you should be, on the track.

A good example is the act of purchasing a new car. Normally, this part of a game has its own separate screen, but the developer wisely placed all purchasing decisions on the same screen where you choose what event to try next. If you've got the right car, then go race. If you don't, you can quickly purchase a car that matches the kind of event you're entering.

The one flaw that people will point to is 'GRID's' smaller-than-usual collection of cars. But even this is indicative of the game's desire to have you racing and not wasting time in menus. The selection is smaller, but it is also more appropriate. The glut of low-end cars you'll never use is discarded completely for the cars that may actually appeal to racing enthusiast.

'GRID' takes the best bits of 'Burnout' and 'Gran Turismo' and finds the perfect middle ground between the two. As a result it is the better game of three. It has both the depth of the latter, while providing the vicarious thrill of the former.

However, comparing 'GRID' to 'Burnout' and 'Gran Turismo' is admittedly a bit of a pedantic exercise. Because regardless of the advantages/disadvantages 'GRID' may have compared to those games, ultimately, 'GRID' is simply a lot of fun.