Pick a mode on the start screen. In Free Ride you drive the open city as you like, hit ramps in the parks and on the pier, and step out of the car with E. In Stunt and Container you drive through every ring in order and stop on the finish pad. W and S accelerate and brake, A and D steer, Space is the handbrake, C changes the camera and R restarts. On a phone the steering pads sit under your left thumb and the pedals under your right.

Clear levels. The first clear pays the full reward, a replay pays a quarter of it, and beating the target time pays one and a half times either amount. After a level you can optionally watch an ad to double the reward. In Free Ride, air time off a ramp also pays when you land.

Five cars - Sedan, Coupe, SUV, Pickup and Van - and seven kinds of parts: paint, rims, spoilers, decals, stickers, window tint and wheel camber. Each part is bought once and can be fitted to every car you own. The garage car is the one you drive in every level.

It sits between a real car and an arcade racer. There is an automatic gearbox with the gear on the tachometer, the body rolls in corners and dives under braking, and grip runs out if you enter a corner far too fast - but there is more grip than a real road car, and after a slide the car straightens itself as soon as you release the handbrake. The handbrake locks the rear wheels so the tail can come round. Each of the five cars has its own weight, power and drive layout, so a Coupe and a Van launch, brake and turn differently.

The run restarts from the start of the level. Nothing is lost - there are no lives and no penalty - so try the line again. Container runs are about staying in the middle of narrow rows and carrying enough speed to clear the gaps.

Yes, in Free Ride. Stop, press E, and you step out and walk; Shift sprints and Space jumps. Walk up to any parked car or a car stopped at a light and press E to get in, or press E near a moving car and the driver pulls over. In Stunt and Container you stay in your garage car.

Yes. In Free Ride walk to the police lot - one of the parking lots in the city - step up to a black-and-white cruiser and press E. Inside a police car G switches the siren and the flashing light bar on and off; on a phone the SIREN button does the same. Ordinary cars have no siren.

No. Crashes dent the bodywork and shake the camera, but there is no health bar and the car never breaks down. The dents slowly fade after a stretch without hits.

No. City Drive runs in the browser on desktop and on phones with no download, plugin or account, and nothing is sold for real money. Your progress is saved on your own device.