Understanding the kinetics of grain growth, under the influence of second phase (such as impurities, voids and bubbles) is fundamental to advances in the control of microstructural evolution. As a precursor to this objective, we have investigated the grain growth kinetics in a polycrystalline material using a standard Q-state Potts' model under Monte Carlo settings. Based on physical reasoning, new modifications are suggested to circumvent some of the disadvantages in the basic Potts model. The efficacy of these modifications vis-a-vis the basic model is verified. The influence of second phase particles on the impurity loaded grain boundaries is investigated for the study of grain growth kinetics. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.