You are Ralf Schumacher, and you're chasing your elder brother down the back straight at Hockenheim. You're moving so fast you can see the slipstream coming from the back of Michael's tyres, and as you get closer to his rear wing, you start to feel the vacuum created by the Ferrari suck you in. Suddenly, the roar of the engines disappears, and all around you turns deathly silent as you speed into the corner and pray you brake in time...

Welcome to EA's F1 2002, the latest Formula One simulation for the PlayStation 2. All the teams, drivers and circuits from the 2002 season are present and correct, and the series has advanced considerably since last year's F1. Visual improvements are everywhere to be seen, the level of realism has somehow been improved, and a brand new slingshot bar has been introduced, which turns the business of overtaking into a game of chicken that's as nervewracking as it is authentic.

The slingshot bar is the biggest addition to the game's already impressive list of features. As you approach the car in front, the bar will start to fill. When it's fully charged, you're in the perfect position to step out from your opponent's slipstream and overtake. Unfortunately, when you slingshot, the persistent whine of those F1 engines is replaced by a deafening silence, which can be absolutely terrifying at high speeds (and the speeds in Formula One are almost always high).

The visuals can also induce a fright or two during the race. Put a wheel (or more) on the edge of the kerb and the screen will rattle and shake in response. Race in the wet and you'll probably be distracted by the great rain effects and equally impressive reflections, if you get past the inevitable 10-car pile up on the first corner. Crucially, the framerate remains constant throughout, meaning the illusion of driving a Formula One vehicle is never broken by jerky graphics or slowdown, despite impressive draw distances and minimal fogging on the scenery.

As with previous F1 titles, there's a wide array of customisable options that govern how impossible the game is. With all the guides and assists on, F1 2002 is remarkably simple to control, but turn a few of these options off and you'll soon get a feeling for how difficult Formula One racing is. There is also an impressive array of play modes and challenges to attempt - as well as the obligatory full season and quick race modes, you can choose to compete against your teammate, take on one of the 11 challenge modes, or simply take on a friend in the split-screen multiplayer mode.

With so many goals to take on, and such a wide array of difficulty settings available, F1 2002 has tremendous longevity; you won't be mastering this title at any time in the near future. Despite being enormous fun to play, F1 2002 still keeps it's reputation as the foremost simulation of the sport to date; and it's this combination of arcade thrills and painstaking authenticity that makes F1 2002 so impressive. If you want to get obsessive about getting the correct downforce settings or gear ratios, then you can tweak and test to your heart's content; or you ignore the practice, qualifying and warmup sessions, and then try and win the race from the back of the grid using the other cars as braking aids.