IF YOU have ever wondered how it feels to zip through downtown Singapore in an F1 racer, allow SingTel to help you live out your dream.

At least virtually.

SingTel's Ultimate Race is a game you can play on your home PC to live out your Kimi Raikkonen or Lewis Hamilton fantasies.

All you need to do is to download the free game - a 223MB file from www.singtelrace.com - and you are ready to go.

It is more than just a consolation offering for those who have not been able to land a slot in the racing simulators SingTel has been showcasing at Comcentre and around the island.

These sophisticated simulators are built by BallRacing Developers from the UK, and are used to train professional drivers.

The game features only one track: the Marina Bay route for the upcoming SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.

The graphics, while pretty, aren't the best in the business, though there's barely any time to stop and examine the pixels - not when you're struggling to steer around sharp corners at speeds that would be illegal otherwise.

Still, landmarks like the Singapore Flyer, City Hall, and the various hotels in the area are faithfully recreated.

NO ERP

No ERP gantries though, so no need to top up your CashCard.

As I don't have a wheel controller, it was a struggle to race using my keyboard, especially changing gears while steering past the tricky corners.

But overall, it is great fun and gives a very good idea of what the F1 race will be like, not to mention the sheer thrill of going beyond 120 kmh around the Marina Bay area without getting a speeding ticket.

The game is a great fan service from SingTel, and anyone - racing fan or not - with a need for speed should lap it up.

Especially from 9 May onwards, when you can play the game online and gun for pole position on the leader board to win prizes from SingTel.

This story was first published in The New Paper on 2 May 2008.