[Z-man]

I have a PS2. Got it back in January of this year. Biggest reason I got it was to be able to play "Grand Turismo 3" (aka GT3). It is a good driving sim game. Not the best -there are some areas where the game is really not realistic. (Skidpad trainig, for one), but there are license tests, driving series, and the type of progress you mention.

The thing that made me get the PS2 vs. the X-Box is the fact that GT4 is coming out soon. It is supposed to be a better driving sim than GT3 is.

I also have a Need for Speed game for the PS2 (Hot Pursuit 2) and it's more of an arcade type game, but fun nonetheless.

I recently got into a new game : Ace Combat 4 "Shattered Skies". It is a jet fighter sim - lots of fun - it is more than a 'shoot them out of the sky' game - there is strategy and different missions to run. And I just saw that Ace Combat 5 is coming out with more of this type of gaming.

Adam: you're in NJ - (are you the Adam I know from autox?) You are always welcome to borrow my PS2 for a week or so and determine if a PS2 is for you.
-Zoltan.