Graphics: Using filmed footage of the real settings helped the designers achieve the absolute authenticity they desired. The introductory video is exceptionally vibrant, equal to the most riveting racing cinematics I have ever seen on the computer. While the scenery may not always be aesthetically beautiful and even sometimes appears drab and bland, that is exactly what the track environments actually look like. Notable special effects include lens flares, light filtering in among the trees, dust spreading around as cars move, and cracked windows on the cars. The internal detail within the vehicles is particularly impressive, showing great 3D dashboard detail and the driver turning the wheel. These cars get dirty, splash through puddles, and kick up dirt as they go around corners, creating authenticity not just in their appearance but in the appearance of their movement. I will comment further and say that the lighting model is one of the best I've seen so far. The cars have real time shading and shadows. Thus, the side of the car opposed to the light source (sun, light poles, flashes from the photographers!) will be naturally darkened, not just a texture being changed. It's nice to see the car's shadow or the light cone flowing smoothly over the side track scenery like stationed cars, fences, walls, bumps etc. The car/road also darkens while travelling through dense woods and you have to manually turn the lights on to better see the road ahead. Furthermore, the night is BLACK, and the damaged electrics will cause your lights to dim, flicker and eventually stop working, leaving you blind (this may happen to either of your left/right lights and/or fog lights depending on the side of the car affected by previous accidents). Another "small" detail adds to the realism: the blinding effect of the cameras' blitz in the dead of night which is nice to watch in a replay or in the real life but very annoying when YOU're the driver battling for seconds. Oh, and you'll experience all these lighting effects from the inside of the car too, not just from the outside views.

Interface: Although Mobil 1 Rally can be played with the keyboard or a joystick, the optimum control device is clearly a steering wheel. My Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback Steering Wheel worked perfectly using all of the default settings; the force feedback effects are excellent. It is possible to change button settings as well as the dead zone.

In terms of navigating through and interpreting the game itself, I do wish the menu system were not exclusively keyboard-based, as this can be a real pain, and in many cases it seems to take too many key strokes to get to the menu you want. The play screen includes such data as driver and car information, a course map, a rev counter, and a progress bar, but conveniently all of these may be turned off if you wish.

Gameplay: The twisting tracks in Mobil 1 Rally are especially challenging due to the presence of unexpected obstacles such as logs, fences, and hay bales. You slide around a lot unless you really drive carefully. As you move through the racing environments, the sense of speed is conveyed very convincingly, and at times it is terrifying as you travel over narrow and dimly-lit roads. It almost never is possible to see a long way ahead, and because you do not go around the same track over and over again you cannot easily memorize the various challenges along the way. You have to listen very carefully for navigation assistance to your co-driver's pace notes to avoid going off the road. As in real-life, the four-wheel-drive cars are very different in performance than the front-wheel drive models.

Sound FX: The sounds of the engines in Mobil 1 Rally are fine, unique for each car, with high pitched revving noises. The voices of the announcer and co-drivers, real-life Rally co-pilots Derek Ringer and Claire Mole, are superb, authentic and not overdone; although it takes a while to get used to interpreting comments such as, "Left 5 into right 3 tightens," you gradually do get used to it. There is full and effective implementation here of the 3D hardware sound standards of A3D and EAX.

Intelligence & Difficulty: Unfortunately, there are no levels of difficulty, which is a major drawback. Novices may get frustrated and give up due to their initial poor performance. It is not speed that is the issue but rather the absolute precision required in your driving. Even veteran computer racing fans may find it difficult to finish in the top 20 needed to score Championship points. Determining the competitive quality of your computer-controlled competitors is much harder here than in most racers, as the artificial intelligence is difficult to evaluate because you are not usually in sight of these virtual foes. It does appear, however, that the regular simulation AI is far superior to the rather primitive implementation in arcade mode.

This is not the kind of racing title where you can just ignore the brakes; if you do so, you will slide off the roadways. It is also not the kind of offering where invisible walls on the road keep you going the correct way, as there are a ton of side paths available that are not part of the proper route at all. You learn to adjust to the special challenges present, but again some might be annoyed at how much they have to modify their typical racing style.

Overall: For rally racing lovers, Mobil 1 Rally Championship is the closest thing to perfection ever released. The realism and excellent graphics, sound effects, and physics make this a real winner for them. It cannot be overemphasized that the designers at Magnetic Fields have succeeded in virtually all of their objectives, and this is a satisfying and polished racing product even if it does not have the broadest mass appeal.