But it is not perfect. Damage modelling is shallow and unconvincing. No-one has managed to put a predictable, bump-free difficulty curve into one of these sprawling sims, and Forza 3, despite a sterling effort, can't quite manage to smooth it out. Furthermore, despite the inclusion of drag racing and point-to-point tracks - including the magisterial Japanese mountain roads of Fujimi Kaido - and a few inventive race categories, the main career mode is still too short on variety relative to its extreme length.
The RenaultSport Twingo, unlikely hero of the F Class, and yes I am calling out you Yaris fans.
More seriously perhaps, the boasts of lavish content - 400 cars and 100 tracks - ring a little hollow when you realise how much of it has been recycled from Forza 2. You will very often experience a strong sense of deja vu as you take the same car round the same track that you did two years ago. And while the circuit selection is hard to fault - fleshing out all the old favourites with some exciting and interesting new additions, both fictional and real - the car catalogue covers all the expected bases without ever stirring the imagination, the passion, or the amused smiles that Gran Turismo's eccentric, encyclopaedic collections always have. It's copybook car love.
Finally, and most controversially, there is the look of the game. You would expect Forza 3 to boast staggeringly faithful and detailed car models, and it does, no doubt. But despite that, it's graphically sterile and bland, with few effects, poor environmental detail, and a relatively basic in-car view. In a side-by-side comparison with GRID or the thrilling showboating of Need for Speed: SHIFT, Forza 3 will leave you cold.