Well this certainly is a surprise. Not many people have ever played the original GTI Club for arcades - but the game has now been revived, and announced for the PlayStation Network.

The original GTI Club game was made by Konami back in 1996, and was a "free roaming" racing game, similar in style to Burnout Paradise. You drive Mini Coopers and other such cars around the track in order to win the race. There was also a battle mode available too, where you had to bump into each other to "hot potato" a Bomb around before it explodes.

GTI Club+ retains the open element of the original, but has been totally reworked in every aspect. Running at 720p at 60fps, the new game has all the modes of its arcade forebear, but takes the race online, allowing up to eight people to compete simultaneously.

The new game has been overseen by Konami’s European Product Planning department and developed by SUMO Digital Entertainment, and has been designed to boast all the content and add-ons expected of a next gen title. GTI Club+ brings the arcade game bang up to date with incredible visuals and speed, with the option to customise the various cars with bespoke paint jobs and decals. The original game’s four cars have also been expanded with a number of vintage and modern vehicles added to the roster.

In game, GTI Club+ also utilises a rear-view mirror for the in-car view, and a Sat Nav system to help traverse the open nature of the huge courses. Dizzying replays of key action, 5.1 sound including a remix of the coin-op’s music by Atjazz, and player-to-player voice comms also add to the camaraderie as players compete against each other. The game is also compatible with Sony’s Eye Toy HD, allowing users to see their rivals as they play.

With a full set of modes, including Free Run, Arcade and Bomb Tag, GTI Club+ sets a new standard for downloadable titles. Die-hard racers can test their mettle via worldwide rankings, while Konami is committed to expanding the game via regular downloads.

It's a great idea, and I'm glad Sumo Digital are behind it - they've previously ported Outrun 2 to several systems. At least it'll be better than Frogger 2 or Coffeetime Crosswords on Xbox Live Arcade.