e, developer Image Space Incorporated has tweaked the game through three revisions, the most recent of which drove this series to the top of the open-wheeled racing genre. Surely something even more exciting would arrive in the next edition. And it has, in the form of F1 Challenge '99-'02. Sadly, this excitement is somewhat tainted. Firstly, though the game is a grandiose and stunningly gorgeous affair that builds upon its already strong base by combining all four seasons from 1999 to 2002 into one neat package, it is not the huge face-lift some were expecting. Nor does it even brush upon the most recent season, 2003. Furthermore, there's little doubt that it feels like a backward-looking wrap-up--a parting shot--to a series that has unfortunately come to its fruition. And that's because it has. Indeed, F1 Challenge is to be the final installment of this superb franchise. Whether it is resurrected in the distant future is anyone's guess, but it is most assuredly gone for some time to come. According to EA, "The license was up, and we chose not to renew." According to its growing fan base, which has come to view F1 as the most authentic depiction of open-wheeled racing on any gaming platform--and leagues ahead of anything played on a console system--the end came far too soon. The good news is that EA and Image Space have given us a really big finale that is already the subject of numerous third-party modifications. F1 Challenge begins humbly, with a simple interface sporting a simple request to login with your chosen player ID. It then expands exponentially from there. Once you've entered your ID, which, thankfully, allows you to race as yourself rather than one of the game's 34 real-life F1 pilots, you have a big decision to make. Namely, you have to decide which of the last four seasons, excluding 2003, you wish to enter. To the uneducated driver, four separate seasons--each with many of the same venues and many of the same drivers, teams and cars--would mean very little. But the seasoned pro knows differently. Image Space has done a nice job in this respect, developing a unique set of parameters for each year. If a circuit has been altered, dropped, or added in the real world during those years (Hello, Indianapolis!), such changes are reflected in the game. If a driver has changed teams or a team changed sponsors or colors, you'll see it. When you create your ID, you'll also be asked to choose a nationality, a team, and a car in which to drive. The latter is quite important, as a fast, capable machine in the real world is also just that within the game. This means by selecting something like an also-ran British American Racing entry, you'll have to perform at an even higher level if you hope to dislodge the Ferraris and McLarens from their typical podium positions.CLICK HERE To Get Download Links
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