In the days of the original PlayStations, and there was only one driving simulator worth playing and that was Gran Turismo. With 100s of cars and plenty to get stuck into, the series became wildly popular around the world.

Then came the launch of the Xbox and suddenly there was a serious contender to the throne. Forza Motorsport arrived for those who preferred Microsoft’s new console to Sony’s old favourites, and it did a pretty good job.

GT, as recently as the Prologue edition which offered gamers a small taste of GT5 back in 2008, featured stunning graphics but very stiff and limited car handling which (personally) destroyed any enjoyment of the game.

GT5 is however a fully-featured title, with a hefty (if not old-fashioned) career mode, online functionality and an incredible 1,000+ cars - including licensed vehicles such as WRC rally cars, NASCAR race cars and more.

The handling, I’m happy to say, is a marked improvement. I feel much more in control of each car now, and they’re a pleasure to drive.

But old GT issues, such as AI cars that brake unexpectedly and make no allowance for your position on the track, are still there under the shiny new bonnet. And speaking of shiny things, the graphics - as good as they are - are far from perfect. Lots of “jaggies” are visible throughout gameplay and can really divert your attention away from the action.

Car damage also makes its GT debut but unfortunately it makes very little difference to car handling. But this doesn’t make GT5 a bad game - far from it, this is the most enjoyable and realistic game in the series to date. It’s just a crying shame that, with the time it’s taken to arrive, the same niggles are there at its core. For my money, Forza 3 on Xbox 360 just edges this race. 7/10 Out now on PS3