The original Trackmania caught us by surprise. A game that combined the latest 3D graphics with a sole focus on building and racing around fantasy tracks was just the thing to tap into our childhood memories of Scalectrix slot car racing. It wasn’t the track building nirvana we’d hoped for, but it was a fun diversion with a surprising amount of complexity.

Fortunately, Trackmania’s back, bigger and better, with the Sunrise sequel. The developers have a clear understanding of where the original went right and wrong, and have delivered something closer to the ultimate track building sim.

For those unfamiliar with the original, the premise of Trackmania is a healthy mix of game modes, from building tracks, racing around them, or solving puzzles. These elements are left intact, with the Puzzle mode still our favourite type where you must join the Start and Finish lines with a limited number of track pieces, and then race along it in the shortest time possible. Other modes have been added, like Platform and Crazy, which offer new challenges based around the extensive range of tracks.

Where Trackmania really needs an overhaul is the track editor, which still feels too clunky when designing complex tracks. Furthermore, while we appreciate the arcade nature of the game, some extra realism as you burn through the tracks would be a welcome addition. But, these certainly don’t detract from the core fun of Trackmania Sunrise, and we recommend this for fans and new comers to the series.