One gorgeous drive

The perfectionists at Polyphony Digital are known for their obsessive attention to detail and utter worship of the automobile, and it shows more than ever in their latest offering, "Gran Turismo 4." In 1998, Polyphony redefined video game racing with the first "GT," and the sequel that followed quickly after was simply an extension of the original. Polyphony reinvented the wheel, quite literally, in 2001 with "GT3: A-Spec." Now, after countless missed release dates and months of fine-tuning, "GT4" has finally arrived.\nAs always, at the heart of "GT4" lies its massive car selection. The Polyphony design team has recreated, in staggering detail down to their individual engine purr and realistic handling, everything from an 1886 Daimler Motor Carriage (classic cars from the early 20th century through the early 1990s are in great supply this time around) to the most advanced prototype concept cars you never knew existed. Each can be modified down to the port polishing as you strive to create the ultimate racing machine. It'll cost you, though, and earning credits to buy and mod cars in the absence of a money cheat code can be frustrating when all you want to do is drive each and every one of the damn things (an urge that the Arcade Mode only slightly satisfies). Yet, even that aspect of the game is ultra-realistic, since you actually put much thought into which cars you buy and great care into every aspect of their modification.\nThe selection of tracks has been considerably beefed up as well, with new and exact recreations of real tracks like California's Laguna Seca Raceway and Germany's slenderly treacherous Nurburgring Nordschleife, as well as several ice and mud-covered tracks for an extra challenge. A new breed of city courses including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Seattle and New York offer excellent scenery and extremely difficult corners, yet the most impressive tracks, like the new El Capitan at Yosemite National Park and the gorgeous Cote d'Azur and Costa di Amalfi, showcase the beauty of racing amidst nature while successfully pushing the PS2's graphical limitations to the breaking point.\nSome gamers will gripe at the lack of once-promised online capability in "GT4," but with this kind of realism at their fingertips, I would argue against the need for online play, as it would only serve to muddy up the graphics and curb the frame rate. My only legitimate complaint with "GT4" is that the computer opponent drivers are still, while formidable, ultimately unresponsive to players' actions as they insist on carving out the same racing line every time.\nWhile "GT4" is not so much a quantum leap in the series as it is a brilliant refinement on the tried and true "GT" style, it still delivers everything a racing simulator should deliver on a grand scale. With more than 650 cars and over 100 unique tracks to traverse with them, "GT4" will keep discerning racing game fans and meticulous automobile enthusiasts busy for months.