In the category of great games with so-so downloadable content, the new cars for GRID just appeared in what Codemaster is calling the "8 Ball premium content pack", available on Xbox Live and from the Playstation Store. Ten bucks will get you a few cars. I'm just going to cut and paste, since publisher Codemasters is more excited about this than I am.

* McLaren F1 GTR - The McLaren F1 GTR wrote itself into the history books as the only GT car to ever win Le Mans outright in the modern era and is considered one of the finest examples of automotive engineering in history.

* TVR Cerbera Speed 12 - The TVR 12 smashes past 60 MPH in just under 3 seconds. Production models were planned, but they were considered too powerful to sell to the general public.

* Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X - For over a decade the Evo has been billed as a supercar slayer - now the Evo-X in GRID lets you unleash its sledgehammer aggression in the Pro-Tuned class.

* Honda S2000 - This roadster is heavily modified for drifting and has become a cult-favourite thanks to its award winning engine.

* Nissan GT-R (S-G2008) - One of the world's hottest cars makes its debut in Race Driver: GRID in its fully tuned racing spec.

* VW Nardo - This powerful concept car made real from VW uses its 600BHP engine to rocket to 60MPH in 3.1 seconds.

* Pontiac Firebird Trans AM - The 1971 racing edition of this true American legend is a worthy addition to GRID's exclusive group of muscle cars.

* Volvo C30 - Adding to Race Driver: GRID's touring car roster comes the C30, Volvo's agile, cutting edge hot-hatch straight from the STCC grid.

Volkswagen has a concept car called a "Nardo"? That's so close to being so wrong in a couple of ways (plus, I think it's the name of that purple trumpet-nosed bird who hangs out with Princess Peach). A '71 Trans AM and a bad-ass souped-up Evo would be great, but all the other cars are those generic high-end racers that I can't tell from each other, but are too much car for me to handle anyway.

But my big beef with this anemic download is that you can only use the cars in standalone races or online. They're not allowed in campaigns, which is the real heart of GRID. As much as I adore GRID, which would be the best racing game of the year if it weren't for Midnight Club Los Angeles (and even then it's a toss up), this is a pretty paltry offering.