If you have read the Steam news page overnight, you'd know that plans have been set to bring a free Steam weekend for the game RACE. The free weekend will run from today through to Monday the 22nd.

Simbin's RACE is the first game title to deliver the intense action of the WTCC championship to your beloved beige box. To celebrate the title's launch, buying the game over the Steam service will cost you $29.95 (US) and if you buy it in the first week you will save an additional 10%.


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EA has announced the impending arrival of UEFA Champions League 2006-2007, a new soccer game designed to tap into the real UEFA Champions League hype in Europe.

The game will be released on PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, PSP and mobiles. The press release spends plenty of space expounding the benefits of the Xbox 360 version, like the virtual card system which allows you to trade players, staff and strategies with other gamers online. The PC version appears to be an afterthought, having only been announced for European territories, but hopefully it will find its way here too.

The game is due for release on 23 March, conveniently just in time for the UEFA Champions League finals.

Techland has released a single player demo for their rally sequel Xpand Rally Extreme. It features two tracks in Malaysia and Italy, and two vehicles drivable in simulation or arcade mode. Here's what you'll need at a minimum:


The demo weighs in at 330 MB, and is available from 3D Gamers and Worthplaying.

A snowboarding alien is an unusual subject for a computer game, so Stoked Rider: Alaska Alien is distinctive for being a little odd. But is it a good game? You can find out for yourself with the just-released demo, which unfortunately doesn't allow you to play as the little green Alaskan, thus removing its quirky attraction. But if snowboarding is enough on its own, grab the 78 MB demo from 3D Gamers, Gamers Hell or Worthplaying.

If you prefer your sports earthbound, you can try the demo for PureSim Baseball 2007, which is almost certainly a baseball game. The 106 MB demo is available from the game's publisher Matrix Games.

Speaking of baseball, some professional players in the US (where else?) have just formed the Professional Baseball Video Game League. If you're thinking it involves baseball games, you'd be wrong. It's simply an online tournament where baseball players compete against each other and their fans -- in Project Gotham Racing 3. Must be the off-season.

About six months after the game's release, a demo of FlatOut 2 is finally available to try. It offers three cars, two tracks, and two special events.

To play Bugbear's physics-intensive racer, you'll need a 2 Ghz CPU, 256 MB RAM, and a 64 MB video card.

The 476 MB demo is available from 3D Gamers, Gamers Hell and Worthplaying.