First, it'll be worth noting that its unusual for me to play a non-SCS or non-FPS, and even more unusual for me to play a driving game, i prefer the real thing you see, the satisfying squelch of a cat, the yelp of a dog, the shriek of an old lady, they're the sounds i live for when im driving, and
getaways are always good fun.

Anyway, NFSHS (names too long) is cool, a relatively old game by the gaming industries standard, and its all ready made it onto budget. Basic concept: Take £30000, but a car (i recommend the BMW Z3, race it to earn money and progress to new tournaments, each time upgrading your car, or buying new ones along the way. OK, "not very original!", i hear you cry, and its true, nearly everything thats been done in NFSHS has been done before,
but damn is it done well, damage modelling is very accurate, AI is pretty good, the cars are luverly, and the courses are challenging.

A semi-novel feature is the pursuit option, simple really 2 people race, you can either be a racer, or one of the cops trying to book them, if your racing finish in first without 5 tickets, if your a cop try to book both drivers 5 times, and at the end of the day, theres normally only one way to
stop a slightly faster car, either a quick shunt as he passes you and put em in a tree, or old-faithful, the 90+ mph head on collision.

Through my wealth of experience in the game,  i'm gonna give you a few pointers -
1. In night tracks drive carefully, 100 mph though a dark forest track, without lights because you rammed someone on the first corner doesn't help stress levels.
2. Make sure you know the track to be used inside out, and your car is fully upgraded before starting a high stakes match (you race one other guy, winner gets to keep his car along with yours). Your busing it if you lose that loverly chevvy you spent so long saving for.
3. Learn how to handle the weather, NFSHS offers pretty much all weather conditions affecting handling and speed, learn the best approach for each condition.
4. Learn how to ram. OK, not very sporting, but on an 8 lap track where you can't get past someone because hes hogging the road, the best and sometimes only tactic is to put him off it, I find a high speed in a lower gear (3rd say) and hitting either straight on just before a corner, or just off centre on a straight, normally works giving you enough control to recover.
5. Don't just floor it, other older games may let you bounce it round a corner, but in NFSHS you gotta pay to repair any damage you cause, alternatively find a geezer who can nick you a new car for each race, a la nicholas cage,
6. Curse. Yep, im actively encouraging road rage in this game, aggressive tactics work, and better you relieve it now than wait until you have to drive your mum to the shops. Mums normally don't react well to you flipping the bird to the person you just caused to plough through a shop window, for 'cutting you up'.

Finally, even if all of the above wasn't true, this game is worth it for the simple fact that, if you can afford it, you can race a Maclaren F1, the super car ..... perfect (in pseudo female glaswegian voice) .