Parents' Guide to F1 2018

This Formula One racing simulation has all the depth and detail that serious fans are looking for, but casual players might be intimidated. Like earlier installments, F1 2018 is an authentic and realistic racing simulation that really makes you feel like a Formula One driver, whether you play the career mode, race online, do a Grand Prix event with modern or classic F1 cars, test your skills with a Time Trial race, or play a Championship series. The big difference in this year's model, as opposed to last year's game, is that the controls seem slightly more forgiving. Not to the point of making this a Mario Kart-like arcade game, of course, but enough that it keeps this edition from being frustrating ... and enough to keep you from flying off the track. In addition, the career mode has been fleshed out, and even has you doing interviews, which play out like the multiple-choice dialogue parts of Mass Effect and other role-playing games.

What's ironic (and annoying) about this being so detailed is that this depth sometimes gets between you and the race itself, giving you so many pre-race options that you'll really wish one of the game modes was a Quick Race. It's also missing some options that would be helpful, like one to make the text in the menu big enough to read when you sit at a reasonable distance from your TV. Still, with so many options that let you customize your car, the races, the controls, and even the way you play, F1 2018 is the best way to feel like a Formula One driver if you don't have $320 million for a new sports car just lying around.