ATG, the Swedish horse racing authority wanted to engage a new younger audience in horse racing, and the result is The Race, one of the most ridiculous but entertaining branded games we’ve seen here at the Cream office. Developed by a local Swedish agency called Åkestam Holst, The Race is a real-time multiplayer game where you compete against up to five other people on the net.

How does the brand fit? It’s a horse racing game, promoting horse racing so the brand fit is pretty obvious. But the stroke of genius is the ability to use your voice (through a computer’s in-built microphone) to cheer your own horse forward.

Is it any good? Yes. After last week’s disaster this is a return to form. The voice encouragement is a neat touch, as is the web-cam enabled photo finish. The controls are simple enough, with the keyboard divided into three sections. There’s even a helpful guide you can print out to keep track of the controls. If your horse is lagging behind, you can munch on carrots for extra speed or answer the pop up questions that appear during the race. As we mentioned, it is ridiculous. We were rubbish at it, but it didn’t matter.

Verdict: Brand fit 9/10. Game play 8/10. The facility to cheer your horse along is an inspired touch that helps recreate the trackside experience of a real horse race. ATG have a history of producing entertaining campaigns to promote Swedish horse racing, and this game continues that tradition. We loved it. Try it for yourself here.