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Is it classic Bond? And is Craig any good? And more importantly, are the cars any good? Alex Eckford finds out.

The first thing anyone wants to know about Casino Royale is 'is it true he drives a Mondeo?'. Yes, Bond is seen behind the wheel of a blue prototype 2007 Ford in the film - but only briefly.

Bond is soon back in familiar territory, behind the wheel of a classic 1964 Aston Martin DB5, which he wins in a poker game. When you consider this car is the second best in the film, you know you're in for a treat. The real star of the show is the new Aston Martin DBS.

Looking like a DB9 on steroids, the DBS is impossibly beautiful, and its sleek looks dominate the screen, stealing the limelight from actor Daniel Craig.

As you might expect, the DBS in Casino Royale comes with a host of extras, including a complimentary pistol (with silencer) and a defibrillator. The car’s role in the film comes to an abrupt end when the car rolls seven times - a stunt which places the film in the Guinness Book of Records, beating Top Gear’s previous record of six.

So how is the film?

The decision to cast Daniel Craig as Bond provoked uproar from fans, with shouts of 'Blond Bond', and protests of his unsuitability for the role (it's the first time Bond has been played by an actor under 40 in nearly 40 years).

In Casino Royale it becomes clear why the producers made their choice - Craig can actually act.

The 38-year-old plays Bond as a cold-hearted assassin with a penchant for married women. But importantly, he creates a vulnerable Bond, who makes mistakes and occasionally lets down his guard.

It's the first Bond film since Ian Fleming’s The Living Daylights to be based on a novel, and Goldeneye director Martin Campbell brings the same aggressive yet intelligent style to this film.

The story starts with Bond being given 00-status - licence to kill. The secret agent follows his own leads in an attempt to bankrupt Le Chiffre, a sinister terrorist-funding paymaster.

The rule book may have been dispensed with in some scenes (Barman: 'Shaken or stirred, sir?' Bond: 'Do I look like I give a damn?'), but the first half of the film follows the Bond conventions closely. Chases, explosions, cars, women, and eye-popping stunts.

Unsurprisingly, much of the second half of the film takes place in the casino, with Bond breaking off for heart-stopping mini-adventures in between rounds of poker.

With Casino Royale, the Bond franchise has been reset, and new life breathed into the series by Craig's performance.

Is it any good? It's the best Bond flick since Goldeneye - an intelligent film with enough action to keep Bond fans happy. Is Daniel Craig the best Bond yet? Time will tell, but he's off to the best possible start.