Look, I know this site is all about bikes and biking, but sometimes things happen that prevent us from indulging ourselves. Like the flu. Or the interminable wait for a part to arrive to get your bike back on the road. Or falling off. Or traditional summer weather – hail and snow. Whatever the reason, there will be times when you either can’t ride or don’t really want to. So every now and again we will come up with things you could do instead.

Why I bought a Playstation2 – Riding Spirits 2 by Capcom.

If you have never even entertained the idea of a games console, join the club. I’ll happily play games on a PC because I can delude myself that the top end graphics card, surround sound and ninja speed processor are all necessary for the ongoing development work I do on a daily basis. Not to make games work properly at all, oh no. But a console removes that layer of respectability. OK, so you can use it for playing DVDs as well. Only you’ve probably already got a DVD player. Or you can claim it’s for your children. So how come they never get to use it, then?

Well, forget reason, forget grown-up justifications and simply look at it like this. When it’s horrible outside, you’re not feeling your best or your bike isn’t in a condition to be ridden, isn’t it so much better for your family that you get your biking kicks on the sofa instead? Of course it is. And there’s no better way I’ve found so far than Riding Spirits 2.

If you’re already familiar with console games and lore then I’ll use a simple phrase that will explain all. Gran Turismo on bikes. If, however, that is gibberish to you then I’ll explain a little more. RS2, as we’ll call it from here on, is a simulator type game that allows you to take pretty well any vaguely sporty bike you can think of up to many of the latest models and ride it in a variety of situations. As is usually the case, you can have a quick race where you can ride anything at all in the game, either against the computer or against another player. But the real fun comes in the career mode, where you start off with a finite budget and have to buy a bike, leathers and helmet. You then start off with your totally stock bike and enter the first series open to you. Race, win money and spend it on modifications to make your bike faster and better handling. Just like the real world, in fact, though your sole income here is from racing rather than being a corporate accountant or whatever. As you win more races and series, more challenges become available to you, and you can buy more interesting and exciting bikes.

But be warned. First of all, bikes are fantastically expensive. Second, they depreciate like anything, so when you come to trade up you’ll find that the bike you’ve blown a fortune on is worth roughly nothing. And don’t think that because it’s a computer game you’ll always be able to catch and pass the other riders like in some other games. Because you may be mistaken. The computer controlled riders are pretty good, and in the more advanced levels they will do blocking passes, they’ll run you off the track if necessary and they’ll be just as fast as you. The only thing that the computer lacks is a little aggression and some imagination. If someone is overtaking you, for example, a little weave, while unsporting, will usually see them back right off and keep them back for a while longer. And they’ll rarely use the kerbs, so sometimes you can get down the inside in mid corner, even when they’ve not really left you the space.

A few other things to note. First of all, unlike many games of this genre, when you go onto the grass or into the gravel, unless you are very, very careful and not a little lucky you will fall off. Likewise braking deep into corners or nailing it hard out will often see either a front end washout or a nasty, messy highside. However, your bike is made of unobtainium and clearly you are as well because nothing gets damaged except your track position.

While we’re talking about bikes, it’s worth considering that there are, quite literally, hundreds to choose from. The range is amazing, and it isn’t all new stuff either. You could get an old Honda 400/4, a Kawasaki Z1, a Suzuki Katana, a 350LC or even, heaven help us, a CX500 Turbo. Then there’s the new stuff as well – 2004 Fireblades, ZX10-Rs and Ducati 999s for example. It's also worth mentioning that it isn't just sports bikes or even big bikes - there are 125s, scooters (yes, really), naked bikes, retro bikes, supermotos, you get the picture I'm sure. And they are all faithfully reproduced and completely recognisable for what they are, as are the leathers and helmets available. Eye candy it may be, but it all adds up to a visual feast that really helps making this game very immersive. Oh, the shots included are all genuine screen grabs from an early version. No changes graphically but the menus are in English rather than Japanese. Which is handy.

Control is pretty intuitive and can be made as easy or as complicated as you like. You can change gear manually or have the computer do it for you, for example. You can make your leaning and turning one simple control or you can split the two - pretty handy when you're off-roading. And you can brake and accelerate progressively, rather than the on/off that some games offer. Oh, and you get the choice of the truly authentic on-bike viewpoint or the more common third person "floating above and behind" view. The latter is a lot easier, making up for the lack of feel inevitable with a game that you play from anywhere other than on the actual bike itself.

Riding Spirits 2 is a well thought out, good looking game with enough depth to keep you interested for weeks. The physics is pretty good – not perfect, though, as some sacrifices are inevitable to make up for the fact that you can’t feel what’s happening and some of the senses you’d rely on to stay upright won’t work on a TV screen – and the skill level of the other riders is about the right balance of beatable without being a pushover. Sometimes a chance that you think is perfectly reasonable doesn’t work out and sometimes you’ll fall off when you think you shouldn’t. But overall I’m pretty impressed, and that’s a first for this type of game…

Riding Spirits 2 is on sale now, and retails at £39.99.

But we're giving a few copies away - just e-mail us with your current bike make and model and we'll put you in the draw.