Swedish Touring Cars Championship 2 (STCC2), is NOT a new title on the PC racing titles arena. STCC2 has been around for nearly 6 months now, but it suddenly deserves tons of attention, thanks to its May 2001 patch 3.20, which - among other changes - brings in a field of much more competitive racers, on the "hard" and "very hard" levels.

Racing STCC2 on the "very hard" level feels "just right". The AI drivers don't fly on the straights to snail on the corners, keeping a rhythm consistent with what you have seen of them before. AI's performance varies only slightly when it really matters to push the envelope, like when fighting for points on the last lap. This really shows that the game's developers cared to play it, and found a nearly perfect balance.

Codemasters' TOCA series are the closest-to-STCC2 games, I know of. But STCC2 is better; how much better?, depends on what you focus on. STCC2 is much better on graphics and on audio: while its graphical luxury is an almost natural consequence of the constant developments in 3D APIs, 3D hardware and 3D bibliography, its superb audio realism is more a product of true "in field" research, like collecting WAV samples of the real cars and tuning them to the brilliance you find on the commercial product.

However, what really matters to true racing games aficionados, is the cars' handling. Here, STCC2 isn't better than TOCA. I think both games handle "nicely", but they don't dare to follow the GP Legends path, which makes life hell, to weekend PC drivers :).

Of course that one of the main attributes that makes STCC2 so irresistible, is its originality - how many other titles simulate touring cars?, and of those, how many simulate the swedish championship? Racing out of the usual tracks is a very welcome change...

In STCC2 you can drive the usual touring cars: the BMW 320i, the Audio A4, the Volvo S40, the Nissan Primera, the Honda Accord, the Renault Safrane, the Alfa Romeo 15x, the Ford Mondeo and the Corvette Camaro. The interesting bit is that cars of the same model can have different performances, depending on the team: the private teams are likely to provide less powerful cars...

My (small) experience makes me go for the Nissan Primera: it revs fast, it delivers 300hp+, and it is quite stable, once you get used to it... The Volvo S40 has the greatest engine noise, delivers just a bit less hp, but it easier to drive, making it the wisest choice for your first minutes on the "very hard" experience...

Swedish touring car circuits are short on perimeter - most can be lapped in less than 70 seconds, still they weren't designed for formula performance machines, meaning that you won't feel like driving on an airfield, inside your mini. These circuits are short on perimeter but highly adequate to the vehicles you'll drive there, featuring diversity and rewarding experience. Great!

STCC2 is, until now, nearly perfect. Everything if features, scores great!, and the sole aspect I really would appreciate "fixed" is the cars' handling - make it more like GP Legends, please! Enough of arcade titles!

Still, there is another annoying bit: when you collide with the AI cars, chances are that you'll be BLACK flagged, no matter how unintentional was the hit... and this can get frustrating on starts, when everyone is smashing everyone's tails... on the other hand, this is a smart way to promote clean driving, and more serious tactics. So - despite being annoying - I would NOT request a "fix" on this one.

STCC2 also has a strong multiplayer face, and many (mostly swedish) sites are supporting online racing series.

STCC2 is highly recommended! Go buy it!