RalliSport Challenge features visuals that are incredibly detailed for a game released in 2002 and the graphics still hold up surprisingly well today. While the soundtrack is not anything particularly flashy the songs fit the high speed atmosphere quite well and complement the racing experience. I was impressed by the nice variety of cars included because each one comes with different drivetrains and specific general specs like speed, handling, and acceleration. The game also provides a decent amount of events to work through as it offers two RallySport and two Rally events for each of the progression levels including Pro, Extreme, Classic, and Unlimited.
However there are some significant frustrations when it comes to the actual driving and balance. The difficulty spike in the late game Rally events is absolutely insane even when you are playing on the Beginner setting. It becomes very difficult just to keep pace with the competition and getting ahead of the pack feels almost impossible at times. The general handling for the cars is also not great because far too many of them have next to no traction on any surface except for tarmac. This makes off road sections feel much more slippery than they should. Additionally the track design feels very limited which is especially noticeable during the RallySport events where you see the same layouts far too often.
Overall RalliSport Challenge is a visually impressive racer for its time that offers a solid variety of vehicles and a structured career mode. Although the frustrating late game difficulty spikes and the loose handling on dirt paths can make for a bumpy ride the game still serves as a decent example of early two thousands rally racing for fans of the genre.