The Software :::...

Well, the bundle is not spectacular in quite the same way MSI's bundle is, but then again Colin McRae 04 is significantly better than some of the junk I've seen inside some graphics card boxes.

I'm not a fan of bundles at all in general, but I know many people are and even if Club3D could scrape together half a dozen recent and decent demo titles it'd look better than a single game.

We hear that Club3D will soon be bundling Colin McRae 05 with their products so that should be worth having too. Personally I still rather like 04 and play it more than perhaps any other game on my machine.

Colin McRae Rally 04

Main Features:

• New PC specific improved audio including crowd and ambient effects, alongside the acclaimed engine sounds, and fast flowing pace notes, all delivered in surround sound. Also exclusive to PC is support for Creative Labs EAX 4.0 ADVANCED HD environmental real time effects. Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS or USB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 NZ sound cards recommended.
• You take control! The game delivers exhilarating Championship, Rally and Stages gaming modes, each with single player or multiplayer options that offer co-operative and competitive team challenges.
• Drive any car from the start in the new Open Championship Mode. Compete in a full rally season or specialise in a 4 or 2 wheel drive championship.
• New Expert Championship Mode demands the best performance from the most die-hard rally fan with its tough damage settings and ultra-competitive AI drivers.
• Test new car parts in challenging sub games to acquire new technology - be it an engine, tyres or a suspension test - increasing the chance of success against the competition as the season continues.
• In the Championship, Stages and Rally modes you can race against the clock or go multiplayer with split screen or alternate play for upto 4 players. Saved runs can be seen on the stage as a ghost car, which can be then competed against for the fastest time.
• Enhanced environment detail and new replay cameras.
• Create a Custom Rally, with favourite or themed stages such as straights, jumps or hills, which can be compiled, saved and played at any time.
• 48 tracks and 4 shakedown stages through 8 countries including UK, Australia, Finland, Japan and the USA each designed by hand to deliver the perfect rallying gaming experience.
• Over 20 incredibly detailed vehicles constructed in exquisite detail with improved physics and handling giving even more control, including Citroen Xsara, Mitsubishi EVO 7 and Subaru Impreza, alongside classic cars and more Bonus vehicles.

InterVideo WinCinema

WinDVD 4

• Watch movies while you check email or surf the Web with WinDVD's new Video Desktop. Our dvd decoder provides the best video quality through features such as our Full Range Color Adjustment and Advanced De-interlacing.
• Fit movies into your schedule with Time Stretching, which lets you speed up or slow down the playback speed of movies without distorting the audio. You can turn your laptop into a portable dvd player and Time Stretching will enable you to finish a movie quickly before your battery is low on power.
• Immerse yourself in a wall of sound with 10 brand new dvd audio features like Dolby ProLogic.
• Make your PC the center of your digital universe by hooking it to your TV to watch movies and WinDVD4's TV Out Support.
• Multi-User Parental Control prevents children from watching adult dvd movies.

WinDVD Creator

WinDVD Creator is designed for people who want to create professional looking movies but don't have the time to deal with complicated difficult to use programs. WinDVD Creator intuitively steps users through four easy steps of creating digital videos: Capture, Edit, Author, and Make Movie. WinDVD Creator leads users through capturing video, editing it, adding titles, transitions, effects, music, menus and even burning the finished product to a VCD disc. WinDVD Creator's easy to follow storyboard interface makes the entire movie-making process as easy as moving pictures around on your screen.

Club3D Installation CD

It must be near impossible to keep up to date with the drivers on your product CDs, and as you can see this one is a little behind the times where drivers are concerned.

The addition of an automated version of the Coolbits registry tweak was nice touch, but again Club3D missed the chance to impress by including a few of NVIDIA's tech demos to help show off the hardware. You'd be surprised how many people buy cards like this, fire up a 5 or 6 year old game then get disappointed because the graphics don't look significantly better.