Slighty Mad Studios' Shift 2: Unleashed is one of the best racing sims released in recent times. Certainly in terms of excitement it tops the rather dry Gran Turismo 5. Dig deeper though and you also find that its not just the excitement of racing the game simulates very well - the underlying physics engine is very neat indeed.

The suspension and tyre modelling are much better than Gran Turismo, it's easy to see if you watch replays of both games concentrating on suspension movement. Bringing up the telemetry data in Shift 2 shows how much work the physics engine is doing behind the scenes to present a game that goes quite a long way to create a realistic experience even on consoles.

So you're wondering why so many folks on forums and some critics believe that (a) Shift 2 is merely an arcade game, or (b) the physics engine isn't very good at all? In the case of game critics that's pretty easy - most mainstream sites are terrible at reviewing racing games, or anything else that isn't a straight shooter. But what of user experience? Those gamers who love a good racing game but are baffled by the way Shift 2 handles out of the box? They have a point.

The problem is not Shift 2's physics engine - it's the way the game has been set up. One expects this is to make the game more forgiving for new players but the actual result for many who are familiar with the genre is that the game is actually harder to play at first. The cars wallow around like that are riding on jelly, there's little mechanical grip and while cornering isn't too difficult - keeping in a straight line is.

Thankfully once you know what the causes of these problems you can deal with them rather easily. Keeping the car in a straight line is made hard by the default control settings in the option menu. There are plenty of sliders there for you to experiment with - but one thing you do need to do right away is turn the steering deadzone down to zero or one percent. You'll also benefit from turning down throttle and brake sensitivity, but it's the steering deadzone that's the real problem.

The second issue - the bouncy wallowing cars is a function of the default setup as is the lack of grip. The default tyre pressure on all the cars is the major culprit for the lack of grip. For a car like a BMW 3 series you would expect tyre pressure of around 30 psi, in Shift 2 the default is around 60 psi. So even before you buy any parts for your cars and tinker with other settings get those tyre pressures right down. It really does make a world of difference to the grip.

You'll have more grip now, but still too much body roll. The problem here is that the default suspension settings are set to the softest options. Most games are likely to start you in the middle of tuning ranges between hard and soft, but not this game. In the tuning menu check the available settings for your car and put any suspension settings in the middle. These won't be the perfect settings for the car, but it's a much better place to start.

Once you buy more upgrades for your car the default settings will still be very soft. Buy full suspension parts and the ride height will be set too high and all the springs, sway bars etc. set very soft. So once upgrading go set the ride height just below halfway and all the other suspension settings in the middle. From there you can always tweak - but at least centring things will suddenly make the game much more playable.

Just these small adjustments change Shift 2 Unleashed from a baffling bouncy ride into a really taut and exciting racing game. You also have to remember that the very first cars you'll race aren't racing cars at all and the game isn't going to pretend they are. Move up a few levels and follow the advice above and you'll really come to appreciate how good Shift 2's physics engine is and how tight the handling can be.

Right now I'm only 20 percent or so into the main campaign so it's too early for a proper review - but so far I'm enjoying this more than any racing game I've played since Forza 3. There's really so much to enjoy here. The track selection is probably the best on offer in this console generation - great to see Bathurst (Mount Panorama) in there for example.

The AI is very good too. Yes sometimes the AI drivers can be a little aggressive, but the neat thing is that unlike some games they seem to be aware of the player's presence. Racing side by side one can force an AI car off the track - not with contact - but actually driving close enough to them that the AI driver moves away to avoid you.

Combine that AI with full terminal damage and the excellent helmet view and you get a game with really exciting racing. Especially as the game always offers a good competition - tune up your car - and tuned up opposition will great you at the next race. Flip and roll a car and the view will automatically switch to a replay cam to show the carnage - again something we're not that used to in the current generation of racing games. And AI cars can have their own accidents away from the player - I've played quite a few races where broken cars are seen at the side of the track with AI drivers receiving a DNF.

Shift 2 is by no means perfect - the odd default settings for example make it hard to get into right away unless you know what to change - but there's a really good thrilling game here. One hopes for the next game the inclusion of race atmosphere goes one step further with the inclusion of flags, safety car etc. But for now this is the most exciting console racer around for the fans of a more realistic experience.

I've just one wish though. EA/Slightly Mad Studios - please can we have some 1960s single seater cars a la Grand Prix Legends?