With retail sales just around the corner, we thought it would be a good idea to deliver a rundown on the playable demo of the highly anticipated third instalment for the Forza Motorsport franchise.

The demo features only a handful of vehicles to drive, ranging from an entry-level performance hatch to a purpose-built race car, on a single circuit – the Camino Viejo de Montserrat.

The creators of the game have opted to leave out one of the most exciting and entertaining aspects of previous iterations by not including the car customisation portion of the game in the demo, instead focussing on racing.

The newest addition to the Forza world is the availability of a ‘Rewind’ function which allows players to backtrack in real time through a race to effectively undo any mistakes.

This feature has been added to make the game more accessible casual gamers while maintaining the unforgiving and highly realistic driving style which has made the franchise such a hit with race enthusiasts.

Further evidence of this comes when the player selects the level of assist given by the computer during a race which has been extended to include an autobrake function which slows the car down automatically if approaching a corner with too much speed.

Thankfully all these features can be turned off, making it a far more awarding and real experience for devoted fans of this racing sim.

While the visuals are indeed spectacular, the first ‘wow’ moment arrived as the Audi R8 V10 made itself known on the starting grid with a few rehearsed dabs of the throttle.

The sound is exceptional for a video game and by far the best I’ve heard to date.

The driveable cars in the demo include the MINI Cooper JCW, Mitsubishi Evolution X, Ferrari California, Audi R8 V10 and a race spec Porsche 911 GT3-RSR.

Although come race time, players are given a sneak peek at the rest of the models on offer, racing against the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Nissan 370Z, Aston Martin DBS and everything in between.

For loyal followers of the Forza franchise the latest instalment is certainly no disappointment, with casual gamers now also being catered for.

Forza Motorsport 3 will be available to buy later this month.