Riding a bike is supposed to be easy. Although it really does depend on what sort of bike you're talking about. A pushbike with stabilisers on it isn't too testing. A Ducati superbike is a bit trickier to handle. And the prospect of crashing the latter at high speed is not a pleasant one. Not unless you're riding the wrong way around the track inside a computer racing game, naturally.

SBK 09 presents the player with the official teams and riders from the 2009 championship. As with its predecessor SBK 08, the game contains the usual practice and quick race modes, alongside some challenges. These offer up tasks to complete, including time trials, stunts (wheelies and skids) and various scenarios.

The scenarios sketch out a situation such as a rider lying in fourth place, late in the race, who needs to make up ground and finish on the podium with a heroic last-gasp effort. It's a welcome diversion, although the scenarios could use a bit more spice.

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The campaign lets you don the racing leathers of a famous team and vie for the championship over 13 tracks. Each event consists of practices, qualifying and the super-pole followed by two races. Incidentally, for the uninitiated, the super-pole isn't some form of impressive telegraph construction, but a series of knockout qualifying rounds to determine grid position.

Between sessions you can consult your team engineer. He will provide some advice on the track and weather conditions, but more importantly will set your bike up. This is very useful for novices who don't wish to engage in any bike tuning, as it's possible to simply request a qualifying or race set-up appropriate to the course.

Similarly, if your ride is skidding coming out of corners, inform the mechanic and he'll make adjustments. The engineer's skill level is dependent on the team, which is true to life; the more money sloshing around, the better the personnel hired.

Out on the track, the racing dynamics are well balanced. The medium skill settings represent a suitably measured challenge to the average gamer, with reasonably realistic but not punishing bike physics. Crank it up to the top level, however, and the bike becomes very demanding, requiring a feel for proper braking and accelerating techniques.

The one notable flaw in the physics system is revealed the first time you plough into the back of an opponent going into that devilish hairpin, and end up stuck head-first in a gravel pit. The crash modelling produces some ridiculous and buggy results when it comes to high speed flips and collisions.

However, the biggest disappointment here is the lack of any really major changes since SBK 08. It's a case of a couple of fresh tracks, updated rosters, a lick of paint for the visuals and various tweaks to the formula. Even so, the game remains a playable racer which can be enjoyed by novices and bike fiends alike.

SBK 09 has a detailed, simulation-style championship mode, but it's a well balanced racer that can still be enjoyed by all skill levels. However, it really doesn't push the series on much from SBK 08, which is a shame for owners of that title.