It could be just the present for the man or woman who has everything.

Costing £1m, the latest computer game is a lifesize simulator of a Formula One racing car.

The six hydraulic legs help add to the realism

The makers say that unless you are a world class racing driver, the game is as close to the real thing as you are ever likely to get.

The simulator, powered by two computers, is made of a full size Formula One car on six hydraulic legs and it is so realistic that it even gives the professionals a scare.

The British driver Jason Weller says it is an almost exact re-creation of driving a real F1 car.

"If no-one has ever raced before, it shows them how quick the thing will go. Added to the movement of the machine as well, it's all incredibly sophisticated," he said.

The ride is based on the technology used for flight simulators and has a screen which can project any race circuit in the world.

Len Skinner: the game incorporates the best of the technical world

But it will not appear in any amusement arcade. It is a one-off built for a customer in the Middle East.

Len Skinner, a spokesman for Intersim which built the ride, said it is simply the best game in the world.

"It's the peak of its technology. We're using the best graphics available. We're using the best software we can get our hands on. We've got the six-axis motion system, which is very unusual in the entertainment industry - the best of all the technical worlds," he said.

A growing phenomenon

The simulation games industry is now worth £1.5bn a year and many companies are incorporating into their work technology originally designed for professional pilot training.

Graham Whitehead from the British computer firm, Thompson, which also specialises in computer simulation, said that simulators are constantly driving technology forward.

"Interactivity is now the buzz-word for the whole industry," he said.

"I guess the next wave for that would be to harness an interactive product where more people are involved and that's quite a technological challenge - and one that is, perhaps not immediately, around the corner."

But with the demand for ever bigger and better thrills, it may not be long before tomorrow's technology is available today.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©