Having the throttle open fully and gritting our teeth as we tried to pull a heavy load to the mill would have been enhanced by a buzz in our hands as we neared the destination.ДЄs we said though, this is a surprisingly compelling game.

We played Spintires: MudRunner on console, and to be honest it was a little disappointing that the rumble feature of the controller was not used to greater advantage. Occasionally you will need to throw the winch around a sturdy tree and pull our rig into a position where traction can be regained, and either start the churn again or get enough purchase to head on down the вЂroadвЂ™. Here we are going to churn and slide, then lock the diff and churn and slide some more. So gravel would be graded in, log bridges built and lots of effort put into maintaining the tracks and trails that were the arteries of their trade. The main differences between MudRunner and the real-life experience is the lack of warmth in the game thereвЂ™s no good-natured banter between workmates here.ДЄlso, these bushmen knew they needed to attend to the roads that their trucks are traversing. My father was a logging contractor and as a child I spent many hours in the bush watching he and his team slog through the environment to load trucks and get them on their way. MudRunner does have multiplayer, in which players can team up to repair, refuel, load and deliver, but for the most part this is an isolating experience in a forbidding but well presented landscape.

You really need a buddy to stand outside and yell вЂњleft-hand down!вЂќ to help guide the process. It is a skill to back up a small tray trailer into a driveway, or a semi-trailer from inside the cabin of big-rig in the middle of a swamp. There will be occasional frustrations as you climb the learning curve of this game. Taking on the challenges (including sub challenges such as вЂњdonвЂ™t use the bridgeвЂќ) will require patience, practice and expertise. It is a surprisingly compelling experience. From the small AWD A-3151 up to giant lumbering many-axel behemoths, all will need planning, skill and perhaps a touch of luck to negotiate the environment and deliver the goods or simply get to where they need to be. Each require a different skill-set to use. There are 19 vehicles in the game with less-than-evocative names such as K-700 or E-7310.

This game is all about the physics how the vehicle reacts to the sloppy and muddy terrain, and how in turn the slush, rubble and bog changes with each passing and each spinning wheel as well as the weight and drive configuration of the truck.

Not here: MudRunner is a game of thoughtfulness and planning, of careful manoeuvring and technique to get the job done.Д®ssentially, you are the operator of a variety of all-terrain vehicles, in a lonely stretch of (possibly Russian) landscape, and you need to get the job done! How could this possibly be a driving simulator? Normally a video game featuring mud and forests would involve some sort of buggy ploughing through the spatter at break-neck speeds. ThatвЂ™s mainly because MudRunner involves big trucks and other tough machinery bashing their way through scenery including boggy paddocks, fast-flowing rivers and mountainous precipices. Rather than immediately drawing you into wanting to take on its challenges, the curious game is more likely to induce quizzical looks from potential players. YouвЂ™d be forgiven for exclaiming вЂњWhat the &%$#!?!вЂќ when you see the Spintires: MudRunner video game for the first time.

Mud runner a spin tires game