The DIRT on Colin McRae

Codemasters' first rally outing on next-gen platforms will be called Colin McRae: DIRT in PAL territories, where it will launch on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC simultaneously in 2007.

You can see how those are shaping up in these first screenshots of the game in action on next-gen. A mobile phone version will be released separately.

Specific details on the global locations we'll be trotting around have yet to be fully established, but we are told to expect 12.4 miles of Pikes Peak International, and modes for each of the European, International and Global rally championships.

DIRT will, naturally, feature the usual array of point-to-point races but, as the name suggests, there'll also be plenty of off-road events - on mud, dirt and gravel - from all over the world.

That's in addition to Hill Climb challenges on cliff-sides, Rally Cross events that switch between dirt and road racing, and desert-based Rally Raid competitions in Dakar-style trucks and 4x4s.

Speaking of cars, expect officially licensed cars - 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD - and online multiplayer.

Finally, we're told to expect a brand new damage engine "that ensures players experience every bump in the track, every loose rock, every inch of shifting dirt through the reactive environments".

Expect to hear more on DIRT later this year. The game will be known as DIRT: Colin McRae Off-Road in the USA.