Gran Turismo 5 is the latest installment of a video game-car racing series so legendary in its attention to detail that it has not struck anybody as odd that this game took six years to be released by developer Polyphony Digital.

Those six years were probably spent making the graphics on this exclusive PlayStation 3 title look spectacular, because the cars racing around the screen look positively unreal.

Billed as a driving simulator and not just a race game, players are provided 1,000-plus cars to customize. Even with the beginner-friendly instruction, though, the game is probably best played by people who care about establishing infinitesimal improvements to their lap times by tinkering with gear differentials. Though the game is excellent, fans of the series will be unable to shake the feeling of having been there and done that. But there are few better gifts for car-loving video game players this holiday season.

Xbox 360 owners need not despair as their own exclusive title -- Forza Motorsport 3 -- compares favourably. $60; available at video-game retailers.