Volvo developing racing game

Car manufacturer Volvo is developing a new racing game for the current-generation Xbox, according to the New York Times.

Titled Volvo Drive for Life, it puts the emphasis on safe driving rather than Burnout-style speeding frenzies. You start off by taking a training course at the Volvo proving grounds in Gothenburg, where you must complete tasks such as the "moose avoidance test". Then you can head out onto the roads - where your main objective is to avoid pile-ups.

There are three cars to choose from and three roads to race on, or rather bumble down: you can take the S40 out on California's Pacific Coast Highway, cruise round the Italian Grand Prix near Monza in a S60 R, or drive the XC90 to the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. Don't forget your woolly jumper. And a thousand pounds if you want more than one drink.

The game will also include a virtual tour of Volvo's Safety Center, and footage of real crash tests. It's been a year in the making and is being produced by MotoGP developer Climax together with a New York design agency.

Game discs - at least, we think they must be discs, even though the NYT refers to "cartridges" throughout the article - will be distributed via US Volvo dealers early next year.

And this is just the start, according to Microsoft - there are plenty more plans in the pipeline to release future "advergames", both on the current-gen Xbox and the Xbox 360.