Several types of gameplay are offered: Pre-season, Single Track, Circuit, and Multiplayer. Pre-season is more for testing car modifications and getting used to the game. Single Track allows you to run up to two practice runs, a qualifying run, and the actual race. The Circuit is sixteen single tracks strung together. The game supports multiplayer through modem and IPX networks. Ten tracks are provided out-of-the-box, and it is unfortunate that the touted expansion pack never came out. There are even different test tracks for different purposes.

XNgine, the graphics and physics engine behind the game, is pretty solid and adequately realistic. Bethesda's proprietary 3D engine has come a long way since the days of The Terminator, Arena , to SkyNet and beyond. The non- accelerated graphics are pretty good, and the game offers 3Dfx support (although this probably will not work with modern 3D cards). The physics engine is solid, and the harder maps are designed to reflect how much thought has gone into it: they are designed with lots of turns, which require a lot of breaking and gear shifting. XNgine deals with breaking, sliding, and turning fairly well. Modifications to your car's design are definitely noticeable while racing.

X-Car allows you to change options for nearly every aspect of gameplay. You can select arcade or realistic mode, set the race length, toggle variable weather conditions on and off, adjust the effects of damage to your car, and set the number of opponents you face and their skill level. You can also enable or disable certain "help" features like spin help, auto-shifting, auto-breaking, and steering help.

X-Car is by all means not an easy game. Even in Arcade mode and on the lowest skill levels, computer drivers are extremely good at braking, cornering, and accelerating –better than if you turn all the help options on. Because most of the cars provided are roughly the same in their default setup, to get an edge over your opponents, you need to modify your car for each track. These modifications usually relate to breaking, cornering, and acceleration.

The game also includes options common to the genre, including a variety of camera angles, multiplayer options, and joystick and wheel support. With excellent attention to detail and virtually infinite customizability options, X-Car is well worth a look by die-hard fans of realistic racing games and geeks everywhere ;) Recommended!