Monte Carlo: the second smallest independent state in the world after the Vatican; a picturesque tourist resort that lies in between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea; a haven to shopaholics and the slot machine savvy, hemmed in by the Italian and French Rivieras east and west.

In Rally, it’s home to winding mountain roads, perilous hairpins, and the world famous Col de Turini special stage. Then why didn’t Monte make DiRT 3’s original cut of courses? Who knows, but following the downloadable content trend Codemasters has now made the esteemed locale available to buy from the PlayStation Store. If you’ve conquered the game’s DiRT Tour and are yearning for a new challenge, this add-on might be exactly what you’re looking for.

The Monte Carlo Track Pack features a generous number of all-new routes that fall into the point-to-point discipline. On reaching the DiRT Tour interface players will probably expect to see an additional pyramid representing a standalone, location-exclusive season created specifically for the DLC. Wrong. Instead, they’ll notice that new events have been integrated into the title’s existing championships, such as season one’s Brembo Blast tournament, season two’s Smith Optics Rampage and season three’s Nixon Gold Series. It’s a nice touch, and the developer’s decision to present Monte Carlo as native to the original single-player experience, rather than an afterthought, is one gamers will appreciate.

In terms of environment and course variety, Monte doesn’t disappoint. There are long uphill straights through isolated woodland to attack at speed, tight turns through densely populated townships begging to be drifted, and dangerous cliffside sections that require a great deal of skill and concentration to navigate safely. Likewise, track terrain is equally varied. Players can expect to drive on all manner of surfaces, including dry and wet tarmac, black ice, puddles of Slush Puppy consistency and snowy dirt (or dirty snow, if you like) – all of which will have a noticeable impact on your car’s handling and stability.

Also, to up the ante difficulty-wise, fog has been introduced as a new dynamic weather type. While it doesn’t sound like the most threatening of climate conditions, its ability to obscure the view ahead should not be underestimated; tackling Route Des Anges at night can be tricky enough, but when darkness and fog come together it makes for quite a white-knuckle ride.

Where Monte falls flat is longevity. Although the content you’ll receive in exchange for a £6.29 investment is of fantastic quality, series veterans will likely master all events in two hours or less. Make no mistake, powersliding your way to each chequered flag in this fresh setting is certainly an enjoyable affair, but whether you’re prepared to pay what amounts to £3.15 an hour for that pleasure is definitely a judgement call…

In our eyes, however, Codemasters’ latest post-launch package for its outstanding off-road racer is a worthwhile buy. The courses provided are unlike any already included on-disc, and for that reason the Monte Carlo Track Pack comes almost as highly recommended as DiRT 3 itself.