Burnout Dominator
One of the first things a Burnout fan might ask when he pops Dominator into his console is this: "Where is Crash mode?" That's right, the beloved party-friendly model where you attempt to careen from a cold start into as much traffic as possible is nowhere to be found in Dominator. Here's the thing, though - while it may anger hardcore fans, the omission of Crash fits in with the theme running through the rest of the game. Which is an emphasis on racing above everything else - to drive very quickly and very, very dangerously. For the uninitiated, the Burnout series of racing games tends towards the action side of things - slamming opponents into each other and living dangerously earns rather loses you points. But Dominator is nothing like its predecessor, Revenge. The first changes start with the boost system. Astute gamers will recognise the return of the Burnout mechanic from a previous era of Burnout games.

Your boost bar is always at its maximum length - taking down an opponent does not extend it, and crashing doesn't take away part of it. That means you don't need to spend the first part of each race extending your boost bar by smashing opponents into walls - allowing you to concentrate on racing instead. And that is where the next big change comes in. Fill your boost bar to the brim and it will turn blue, allowing you to ignite a Supercharge Boost. Keep holding onto the boost button until the entire bar drains, and you'll be rewarded with a Burnout. Drive like a maniac during your Supercharge Boost - for example, miss traffic by a hair, drive on the wrong side of the road or drift wildly around corners - and the arrows on your boost bar will light up. If you can light up all the arrows before your boost bar drains, your entire bar refills, allowing you to carry on boosting around corners like a maniac.

You're also rewarded with a score multiplier, meaning the highest scores the best times are attained by filling your bar as soon as possible at the start of the race, and then boosting all the way to the end. Crashing, of course, breaks the chain and sets the multiplier back down to one. Since the option to ram traffic has been taken away, you'll really have to weave in and out of traffic to earn your boost. Another interesting change is the way Signature Takedowns have evolved into Signature Shortcuts. In Dominator, smashing your opponents into particular walls at certain sections of track will clear some of the scenery - for example, by breaking down a fence or barrier with your opponent's car. From then on, that particular track will have a Signature Shortcut, which you can use during any race to get a lead on your opponents. What this really means is that you should spend some time taking each track slowly, looking for possible shortcuts to ram rivals into.

So, what to make of all of this? The back of the box promises "the most intense Burnout yet". Which does turn out to be true - Dominator, despite its name, is more about driving quickly and dangerously than any other game in the series. But the truth is that while Dominator is in many respects a more enjoyable game than its predecessors, the Burnout series as a whole may well be turning a little stale. Don't get it wrong - it's still about living dangerously. But the fact that Dominator is only for current-generation consoles hould tip you off - this is really a filler release, and while it will sate your Burnout urge for a while, Criterion Games should know by now what gamers are looking out for is a next-generation Burnout.