G1 Jockey Wii 2008

You probably thought that horse racing was simple, right? Put on your best hat, head down to Ascot, swill a bit of champagne and have a bit of a flutter on the horses, right? For some folk, that is exactly right. Not for you if you want to take on G1 Jockey Wii, however.

In the career mode, which makes up the bulk of the game, you'll spend much of your time in the stables, on the training grounds or even chatting to reporters, mentors and fellow jockeys. Because the world of horse racing is not the simple place you thought it was.

Essentially, G1 Jockey is an RPG. You'll need to train up your horses, perfect your riding skills and win as many races as is humanly and equinely possible. You'll need to make all sorts of decisions, ranging from which stable you'll be affiliated with to what your riding colours will be.

Then, of course, there's the action. Koei wasn't about to let you play a horse racing game without actually racing, was it? The Wii version makes full use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. If you happen to have a balance board you'll even be able to use that for an even more immersive experience.

It's not as simple as just steering your mount as you would a car, however. Different horses race in different ways - some might prefer to cruise off in front for the whole race, some might jostle for position while some might favour an eleventh hour burst of speed. You'll need to figure out your steed to get the most of it.

See, not so simple as you thought, is it? G1 Jockey Wii is a deep, rich RPG experience.