In goes the disc, up pops the game and a few seconds into our TOCA Race Driver 3 experience we've already managed to unlock a bonus track, courtesy of a TOCA Race Driver 2 save being detected. It's indicative of a game that's so rich in content and features that unlocking everything there is on offer would take an insomniac weeks of solid play - and after that, your insomniac will never get bored of things to do. This is no mere stop-gap by any means, nor one last half-hearted money-spinner before the series moves onto Xbox 360.

'Rich' actually isn’t a strong enough word of praise. Obese, a word normally associated with guests on The Jerry Springer Show, or that picture of Michelle McManus waddling along a beach in a swimsuit is the only appropriate description for a game that manages to cram in this amazing number of cars, tracks and types of racing. If you hadn’t worked it out by now, TOCA Race Driver 3 is a bit of a whopper.

So let's get those all-important numbers out of the way: over 35 motorsports; over 120 championships; over 70 real-world cars; over 80 international racing circuits; 150 miles of courses; 43 locations; 13 countries. Even off the top off our head it would be fair to estimate that there's around double the amount of content than there was in the last game. The only problem might be deciding where to start. The Simulation option is where you'll find Free Race, Time Trial and all the multiplayer modes, but there's little point in putting in the practice without unlocking tracks and events by playing the other main modes first.

So your first port of call ought to be the Pro Tour mode, which is split into six racing disciplines: Classics, GT, Oval, Touring Car, Off Road and Open Wheel. Setting the tone for the rest of the game, only the first competition in each category is unlocked to begin with, and you'll have to drive pretty well to open up more. Every race features full rules and flags too, so smashing through the opposition to get to the front only results in a time penalty and a drive through the pits to end it. It isn't for the faint-hearted, but it does get you accustomed to the different cars and driving techniques you'll need later.

What you find out pretty sharpish is how each racing discipline requires a different sort of skill and temperament. Oval racing is all about maintaining a solid line throughout the constant left-hand turns and keeping your impatience in check until an opening appears for you to overtake. Compare this with the Off Road events, where using the uneven surface, wider tracks and banked turns to your advantage is just as important as keeping control of the vehicle. Open Wheel racing requires great technical ability to stick to the ideal racing line and protect your fragile car from damage. Touring Car is different still, a more dog-eat-dog style of racing where you need to nudge through tightly packed groups of cars without getting bogged down in personal battles or losing control altogether.

Mastering these nuances often means the difference between trailing in last, finishing among the stragglers or popping the champagne on the podium. Whichever of the eight events you prefer, the basic principles of maintaining a smooth line through corners, exiting them at speed and getting back in the racing line after you overtake apply to them all.

Further enhancing the game's qualities as a ‘proper’ racing simulation is the in-depth tuning system. It isn't a necessary feature to look at before each race (and probably only results in a few seconds being shaved off the clock if you set up your car exactly right), but Top Gear fans will no doubt love indulging their little petrol-heads in boring technical jiggery-pokery such as anti-roll and toe and camber settings. Everyone else won't touch either this, or the Telemetry option either.

As fine as the Pro Tour option is and as much as there is to unlock, it's the World Tour mode where you'll spend most of your time. Irritable Scotsman Rick is your guide throughout, relaying info during races and occasionally popping up in cut-scenes beforehand with advice if the racing style is particularly demanding or unique.

The World Tour is arranged into a very well thought-out and flexible tier system, beginning with the choice to race in either the Autosport Clio Cup or the Global GT Lights. After this, each tier consists of three race options until you reach the final two, where you'll be competing in Williams F1 challenges. The great thing about the system is that it only takes one win in one tier to open up all three options in the next, so there's always plenty of choice even when you're stuck on one particular race.

As if the incredible variety in the single-player game wasn't enough, Xbox Live races give you yet another reason never to take the disc out of your console. Apart from normal races there's only one race type, called Eliminator - and one that's been seen before in recent racing games such as Burnout: Revenge and Mashed - but its rule that the last-placed driver after each lap gets knocked out is perfect multiplayer fodder. You can also set such parameters as whether you want race rules, flags and damage.

In fact it's only a few things that let the game down. The occasional cut-scene of an opponent storming into your garage to have a go at you for either cutting them up or beating them never really goes anywhere. We hate to say it, but we were longing for the rivalry aspect of the original TOCA Race Driver, however clichéd and soapy its Days Of Thunder-esque story might have been. The surnames above certain cars in a race to indicate who your rivals are also indicates that there may be repercussions when you overtake them or buffer them, but since they tend to hug the racing line no matter what this just isn't the case.

Pit-stops are a let-down too, simply taking the form of a load of text that you have to click through before your race position is recalculated, instead of the sight of mechanics hurriedly attending to your vehicle. And if we're being really picky then one or two of the lighter vehicles, especially the off-road cars, can feel a bit floaty.

These are small quibbles, however, in an otherwise brilliant racer that's right up there with Forza Motorsport as the best game of its type. In many ways TOCA Race Driver 3 surpasses it, boasting an unrivalled amount of variety, plenty of challenges and even more gorgeous graphics. You can't help but be impressed by both its breadth and depth. .

1. Easily packs in the most content out of three TOCA Race Driver games, offering every kind of four-wheel racing imaginable.
2. The Pro Tour mode is the perfect stop for the more hardcore racing fan - there are full rules and flags and everything!
3. The extremely flexible World Tour mode lets you pick and choose which kind of racing you want to compete in.
4. The six racing disciplines aren't just for show. You'll need to master a different driving style for each one.

1. The 'young hotshot works his way to the top' storyline isn't the most thrilling or original one. And just like the last TOCA.

An exhaustive amount of motorsports is matched by superb handling, incredible detail and lovely graphics. Unmissable.