Pros: Graphics, Driving Dynamics
Cons: Game music, hard to learn
The bottom line: For less than $50, drive a Ferarri all around the world in your living room... Great
Ferarri, one of the most respectable and well know makers of supercars in the world. Yu Suzuki, one of the most respectable and innovative Video Game producers in the world. What happens when the two combine? Well, you get one of the most realistic racing sims in the history of Console Gaming. The title? Ferarri F355 Challenge. Developed by Mr. Suzuki's AM2 development team, Ferarri F355 Challenge is the closest thing you'll get to driving a real F355 without dropping $100,000+. This game is the king of all sim racers. Arcade Racing Junkies need not apply.
Ferarri F355 Challenge originally was an arcade unit, with 3 screens for great dynamic range, Ferarri's F1 Paddle Shifter, the original 6-speed shifter gate, and even a clutch pedal. The unit required the processing power of FOUR Naomi boards, but Suzuki and AM2 have worked their magic, and made it run at 60fps on a single Dreamcast Naomi Board.
The develpers wanted this to be the most realistic racing game ever, so it was no surprise an In-Car view was a Point of View for this game. But surprisingly, its the ONLY POV you can choose. Suzuki sure wanted this game to be realistic. The driving dynamics are great. I have never driven a Ferarri F355, and I doubt i ever will, but from how real cars drive, think that the developers got the handling of the car pretty darn close.

The game requires a LOT of practice to master. You must have some knowledge of auto racing to be successful at this game, such as Apex turning, and Drafting. This adds to the Replay Value of the game.
There are essentially 6 racing modes in this game: Arcade, Championship, Single Player, 2 Player, Network Racing, and Cable-Connected Racing. The arcade mode is basically what you play in the arcade, slightly modified to fit everything on the screen, and suitable for the Dreamcast. Championship takes you through all the basic courses that you begin with, racing with the computer to try to gain points. Single player is just one player, but there are 3 different modes within single player: Training, Driving, and Racing. The training setting provides a guide for the gamer to follow, voice instructions, and visual hints like when to slow down, brake, turn, etc. The Driving mode just lets you free-run the course, improving on the skills you learn in Training. Racing mode is basically what the name says, you race with a number of other drivers. 2 player is just like the name says. Network racing lets you go online, and 'race' other gamers online. This may seem like its 'online' racing, but its not true online racing. What you're really doing, is driving by yourself, but then it compares your time with the times of the other drivers, then chooses the winner. You do not go head-to-head with other online players. Cable-Connected racing is hidden from the American Version of the game, because this is very rarely used. It allows 2 players, on 2 dreamcasts, on 2 TVs to go head to head with each other, connected by a null-serial cable. You can access this by pressing X+Y in the main menu.
The A.I. in this game is very impressive. There are different settings you can choose from, one is more aggressive, while one is more passive. One thing that I love about the AI in this game, is that they know to allow Right-Of-Way to faster drivers. This means that say you're gaining speed on a slower F355 in front of you, instead of banging into them, they will turn away, letting you pass, how real drivers with good sportsmanship drive.
After mastering the handling of F355 Challenge, you can tweak your car to suit your driving style. Setting the Ride Height, Spring Tension, Camber, Toe-in, Wing-Degree, and other properties to get your Ferarri the way you like it.
All this contribute to a great Replay Value for the game.

The graphics of the game are spectacular. Clear, colorful, smooth, vibrant, sharp, perfection. The cars and surroundings are sharp, the road textures are very real, and it displays all this running at a constant 60FPS, even in two player mode! The surroundings are very realistic, in some tracks, you can see trees in the far distance, in another you can see a ferris wheel moving in a nearby amusement park. There are slight jags in the car models, but they're not very noticeable.Even though its missing the 3-screen video from the arcade version, the Dreamcast game does have a WIDE mode that widens the picture, but then squishes it horizontally, distorting the image making everything look tall and thin, although I think people with 16:9 Widescreen TVs may see it normally.
The audio however, is not so spectacular. The sound effects are great, but the 70's rock and roll is just TERRIBLE. The hardcore racer fans might not mind because like me they might just turn off the game music all together. You don't want the music to spoil the great harmony of 8 seperate V8 revving at 8000RPM around you.

Overall, this game is a MASTERPIECE. Gameplay, replay value, sound effects, everything is very well done. This is the ULTIMATE simulation racing game. This shouldn't be classified as racing, it should be considered a DRIVIG SIMULATOR, becuase of how realistic it is. A supposedly well known F1 star, who I wouldn't know because I don't follow F1 racing, wanted to buy the Ferarri F355 Challenge Arcade Unit, to practice in the offseason. The partnership of Ferarri and AM2 with Yu Suzuki leading the way has created the ultimate in console racers. Combine this with a big-screen TV and, the Thrustmaster Ferarri wheel for Dreamcast, you can now truly say you have experienced driving a Ferarri F355.

Ratings:
Graphics - 10.0 - Clear, Colorful, Smooth, Vibrant, Sharp, Perfection. Few jaggies here and there, but still spectacular.

Control - 9.0 - May take awhile to learn, but after getting used to it, its PERFECT.

Sound/Music - 7.5 - Would've gotten the big 10.0 if they didn't put in the cheesy 70's rock and roll.

Replay Value - 8.5 - Lots of different modes, a good variety of tracks. May get boring fast if not used to Racing Sims. But if you keep at it, it becomes very fun. Why else do they call this Ferarri F355 CHALLENGE?

Overall - 9.5 - The ULTIMATE Driving sim, perfect Ferarri driving dynamics. Amazing after you realize that you're playing a GAME. A silky smooth 60FPS even in two player mode makes this simply one of the best games for Dreamcast.