We’ve come a long way since slot cars and matchbox race tracks. Game systems and computer downloads allow us to have nearly realistic racing experiences with graphics that look almost real.

There are many different kinds of race car games, all of them exciting and fun. Game designers have tapped into current trends for their latest creations and you can now legally street race! Zip through tricky streets and avoid debris, other cars and pedestrians as you try to win the race and outrun the law in Need for Speed Most Wanted by Playstation 2.

If street racing isn’t fast enough for you, many games are speed races. There are games that put you on a professional race track that looks so real, you can almost count the blades of grass as you pull into the parking lot to prepare for your race. Sights and sounds in these games are very realistic, so much so that tests have determined game players physical vital signs closely match those of an actual race car driver.

NASCAR games are becoming increasingly popular, especially since a player can race against one of his favorite professional drivers. You can go nearly 200 mph and the most recent offerings give you special effects that make the game very realistic.

If you would rather practice skill than speed (or both), you might like a road rally game that takes you on courses all over the world, from the jungles of South America to the Sahara desert. Here you’ll encounter unique challenges to your skill as you make your way over, through and around obstacles while trying to reach the finish line first.

In many race car games, you can now customize your car as you accumulate points or trade it in for a different one. You might just find that the Ferrari you’ve always dreamed of owning just doesn’t cut it on the race track!