Video games: Satisfy your need for speed with 'Forza 4'

If you've ignored the "Forza" auto-racing series out of apprehension that the world's deepest driving simulation is too imposing to enjoy, here's the shocking truth about "Forza Motorsport 4:" It's as accessible as any racing game this side of "Mario Kart."

If that bothers you, "Forza" fanatics, fret not: "FM4" is as dedicated to its craft as ever. If you test its generosity on the hardest setting with assists deactivated, it will punish you swiftly and unkindly.

That both statements ring true about the same game is testament to developer Turn 10's successful effort to make "FM4" a breeze to learn on its easiest setting, a beast to master on its hardest and a joy to operate on any level.

"FM4's" 500 cars (up from "FM3's" 400) collectively look incredible and drive like a dream regardless of difficulty. Incremental improvements creep into the handling and the visual presentation, but considering how polished "FM3" already was, there's no room for "FM4" to blow it away completely.

Rather, "FM4" bounds forward in the features department, and those who compete online (16 players, up from eight) or engage in "Forza's" amazing community features stand to benefit most.

Car Clubs allow you to assemble a team of racers and designers, share a garage and compete against other clubs on the track and in the marketplace.

Rivals Mode, conversely, will please fans of Electronic Arts' Autolog interface. It lets you challenge friends to beat track times or special event scores -- and collect in-game money for beating their challenges -- whether they're available to play that moment or not. "FM4's" exquisite interface makes it easy to set up and manage challenges, and if you set up rivalries with friends or club members, the game handles all communication duties for you.

Kinect support is the only area where "FM4" wobbles. Driving with Kinect works adequately, but there's too much guesswork in pedal management for it to compete with traditional controls. Navigating menus via motion is too squirrelly, and walking around in the new Autovista mode -- where you can examine 24 cars in educational and insanely pretty detail, with "Top Gear's" Jeremy Clarkson narrating -- is novel with Kinect but far less cumbersome with a controller.

The one place Kinect provides a tangible advantage -- with controller or without -- is with the ability to jump around modes via voice commands. That works exactly as advertised.

Microsoft's new Wireless Speed Wheel, meanwhile, works better than advertised by magnificently bridging a long-standing gap for those who like the idea of a racing wheel but don't like the price or bulk those accessories carry. The U-shaped Speed Wheel is small enough to hold like a standard controller, and it uses traditional triggers for its pedals instead of actual pedals like a full-sized racing wheel.