I had my first run-in with this driving beast on its Twisted Metal Black PS2 release. Now it is set loose on the PS3 with much-improved graphics, sound and more detailed madness and destruction.

In this Death Race 2000 / Carmageddon style no-holds-barred automotive mayhem, crazy characters take part in the deadly Twisted Metal contest created by the dark personality Calypso (with a preacher set on defeating him). The game is on with a range of jacked-up vehicles loaded with deadly weaponry, driven by maniacs. These include the Meatwagon (ambulance), Vermin (exterminator van), Shadow (hearse), Talon (helicopter), Darkside (10-wheeler truck), Death Warrant, Kamikaze and Crimson Fury (various sports car models), Outlaw (cop 4x4), Road Boat (regular old school sedan), Reaper (bike), Sweet Tooth (ice cream van), Roadkill (muscle car), Junkyard Dog (tow truck), Juggernaut (18-wheeler truck), Axel (two ridiculous huge wheels, and little else!).

Pick up weapons and power-ups, use your garage to switch rebooted vehicles, access a health truck, and select custom paint jobs (incl. cammo, Union Jack, flame-job). And, pedestrians beware.

The Challenge mode will test your skills on various tracks (incl. LA Skyline, Diesel City, Watkyn's Harbour, Diablo Pass etc), with objectives like killing Bots and Endurance options. But you get several character driven narrative options in Story mode (which basically links a stream of races.) They include the serial killer clown in The Twisted Fate Of Sweet Tooth The Clown, the violent biker Mr. Grimm's Dark Trip Back, and a crazy woman’s obsession in The Madness of Dollface.

The multi-player option throws up to 16 on-line players together.

Music includes the soundtrack by Brain, with 16 Metal, Rap and Electronic tracks from Rob Zombie and White Zombie, N.W.A., Iggy Pop, Sepultura and more.

Only for over 18s.

4 / A
- Paul Blom

A - Multiple Playing Prospects
B - Can be taken for another Run
C - Once Should Suffice