DrawRace 2 HD · Chillingo Ltd · iPad · £1.99/$2.99

Simple games are perfect for iOS devices. Angry Birds, Cut the Rope and Infinity Blade all works thanks to a simple swipe system that makes them simple for anyone to play, but incredibly addictive thanks to their clever level design. Well, another of these games has recently been released by Chillingo, and it’s absolutely brilliant.

DrawRace 2 is (as you may have guessed) the sequel to DrawRace 1, but the difference between the two games is absolutely huge. While the first game was a relatively simple, 2D top down racer, the sequel has been fleshed out into a much more rounded product. Now in full 3D, races take place on incredible landscapes of dust, ice and tarmac. The graphics are fantastic too – sure, they’re not as stunning as Dead Space HD in full flow, but the animations are smooth and fast, and the tracks and their surrounds really feel alive with flowing rivers and rubber skid-marks staying on the tracks as you race.

Draw the lines on-screen with your finger to set your car’s path

The controls are just like other successful iOS games – easy to learn, difficult to master. The principle is simple: you draw a line on the race track with your finger and your car will follow it. Draw fast and the car will accelerate, draw slow and it will brake. Skidding slows you down, so keeping in control of your speed is vital to success.You also get a boost that builds up while you’re braking, and using this at the right time can be the difference between success and failure.

Timing your Boost is vital, and cutting corners will cause things like cones to scatter across the track.

There are three main game modes: a Single-player Career Mode, a World League mode that allows you to race against others online, and a mulit-player mode that gives four players the chance to race on the same screen. The Career Mode will keep you occupied for some time, with five classes each containing twelve races . Each race will start with one opponent who you must beat over two laps. You then race the track again with two opponents, then three. You will win a medal for each, and unlock the next class when you’ve won a certain number of medals.

As you power through Career Mode you’ll unlock new cars and tracks

The game is monstrously addictive, and you can’t help diving back in after you’ve been pipped to the post for the eighth time. You curse if you draw a corner just a tiny bit wrong, or when you boost in the wrong place, but because you know it was your own fault you try again to correct your mistake. There is never a feeling that the computer-controlled racers are unbeatable, and it’s this that constantly draws (hur hur) you back in. In fact, we’re issuing you with a warning now: you will not be able to put this game down. And we absolutely love it.

Pros:

+ Fantastically simple controls
+ Beautiful tracks
+ Will last you a long time
+ Single-iPad and online Multiplayer modes

Cons:

– Will suck away your life
– A ‘Single Race’ mode would have been great.

Verdict: