Codemasters takes a sharp left turn with its latest off-roader, ditching the traditional highly polished rally racing for arcade-style, stock-car dirt tracks and destruction-derby mayhem.

Despite the (mostly) unlicensed cars and tracks, Dirt: Showdown is unmistakably a spin-off of the Colin McRae Rally franchise, except with added wild handling, explosive collisions and voiceovers boomingly declaring players' awesomeness behind the wheel. Single-player mode offers a variety of courses, including the gymkhana-style "hoonigan", earning points for drifts and tricks with licensed cars, and the "death match" destruction and survival modes, where a variety of old bangers clock up points for smashing opponents. While rally fans wait impatiently for Dirt 4, Showdown offers a satisfying bang for your buck in the interim – largely, as is so often the case, in the chaotic multiplayer modes. This is bold, brash, looks magnificent and is damn fine fun.