GTS World Racing

Developer: Handmark, Inc.
Price: $7.99
Version Reviewed: 1.00.06

Graphics / Sound [rating:4/5]
Game Controls [rating:4/5]
Re-use / Replay Value [rating:4/5]

Overall Rating:

GTS World Racing is a port to the iPhone of a mobile application and the first iPhone application from Astraware / Handmark. It's got everything you could want in a racing game, multiple play modes, multiple tracks, cars, etc. Unfortunately it needs a little upgrade in the graphics to meet the iPhone hardware capabilities.

GTS World Racing is a pretty good racing game. Good variety of tracks, cars, difficulty levels, and modes to play. Game modes include single race, challenge cup (16 races), grand tour (64 races), and championship (16 races you have to win).

The controls are the usual accelerometer based turning the device to steer. They have taken a step further and use forward / backward tilting to do the acceleration / braking. And surprisingly it works pretty well. Tilt too far and the screen turns red to ask you to straighten it out. The controls are easy to use and responsive. Each car handles a little differently which provides another level of difficulty choice.

If there is a downside to this game it's the graphics. While they are definitely an upgrade from the Windows Mobile version they could use a little more detail. While they are passable, they do not take full advantage of the device.

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So even though the graphics could use a little upgrade, this is a great racing game. The price seems a little high for the iPhone market but is still much less than the same game on Windows Mobile ($20). Prices for iPhone apps all around are much lower than they should be, but that's another story.