The first thing you need to know about the PC version of MotoGP 3 is that this is, for all intents and purposes, the same game as the upcoming Xbox edition. All of the modes found in the console game--including both the grand prix and extreme mode tracks--are found in the PC version of the game. The similarities run right down to the menu screens, which are identical to those found in the Xbox game. You can't use the mouse to navigate the menus; instead, you'll be scrolling through the menu choices just as you do when playing the console game. That said, the menus themselves are tidy and well organized, so you won't miss the mouse much anyway.

So what will the PC game offer MotoGP fans who happen to be Xbox-less? For one thing, outstanding visuals. MotoGP 3 on the PC has the same vivid color palette as the console game, bolstered by sharp bike and rider models, as well as high-resolution textures all around. Even the backgrounds, which tend to look rather dull and unfocused in the console version of the game, come to life on the PC. The lush green mountains that set the backdrop on the Rio track, the Sepang circuit's gorgeous grandstands shaped like hibiscus flowers (the national flower of Malaysia), and even the teeming crowds that line the stands all benefit from the graphical power of today's powerful video cards.