If you like speed, then this game is just the ticket. While it suffers from under-steer when using the D-pad, if you use the analogue stick you'll find this recreates all the power, accuracy and sheer finesse of a real F1 car.
Getting behind the wheel of a formula one motorcar is a boyhood dream of many, now Sony have made this dream a reality for PlayStation and PlayStation 2 owners.
Released to coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix, Formula One 2001 has been created with the help of many top teams including Jaguar, Benetton, Jordan and Arrows.
Sony's studio manager Clemens Wangerin explains how they managed to get the tracks as close to the real thing as possible.
"We have a very extensive reference library for all of the Grand Prix tracks, which includes everything from aerial photos, close-ups of details, and over 200 hours of race footage from the digital broadcasting signal.
"This shows the races from a lot more angles than the terrestrial signal."
Many of the best F1 titles on the PlayStation have originated from the excellent designers Psygnosis.
Speed
This latest game has been developed by many former Psygnosis employees - so the games pedigree is unquestionable.
One or two players can do battle against 11 teams and 22 drivers - on all of the tracks used in this year's F1 Championship.
If you like speed, then this game is just the ticket. While it suffers from under-steer when using the D-pad, if you use the analogue stick you'll find this recreates all the power, accuracy and sheer finesse of a real F1 car.
Controlling the car is simple. You accelerate with the right stick and turn with the left.
Though it's easy to spin off at first, the excellent learning curve employed means you'll keep coming back to try and oust Michael Schumacher.
For added realism these cars even come with ABS and Traction Control. And should you switch these options off, just as in a real F1 car you need to be gentler with the accelerator and be careful not to lock the brakes.
Probably the best features of Formula One 2001 are the amazingly realistic Artifical Intelligence (AI) and the AutoSave.
With the latter function, you can now save at any point during a race. This doesn't sound much, but it save an awful lot of frustration.
The new AI option means opposing vehicles now behave like real F1 cars. As a result they are much more aggressive and will try and outwit you throughout.
Thankfully the damage setting can be switched off, otherwise the game would be play so realistically you'd almost need to be as good as a real F1 driver to compete.
The game comes packed with spectacular crashes too - and the multiple camera angles show you collisions from literally every angle.
Throughout the game, TV-style camera angles are used - and these together with commentary from Murray Walker and Martin Brundle can often fool you into thinking you're watching rather than taking part.
On the graphics side, this game cannot be faulted. The rain looks superbly real, and the night and day effects in particular stand out. The 3D modelled cars are some of the best ever seen in a racing game.
The feeling of speed in Formula One 2001 really gives you a thrilling ride.
This coupled with the excellent AI, great handling, the latest F1 data and faultless presentation push it streets ahead of the competition.