FIFA INTERNATIONAL SOCCER by Electronic Arts

FIFA International Soccer, by Electronic Arts, one of only 2 games I have ever forked out the readies to actually buy. (The other being Speedball 2, another footy-type game) Just as well, really, since by now I'd have spent twice as much again renting it over and over and over again.

FIFA gives you the choice of 48 teams ranging from EA All Stars (the supreme team) down to lowly Qatar (a team comprised of postmen, farmers and, in general, players with no boots). You also get various options such as type of pitch, weather conditions, time for game (shortest 2mins per half, and longest is 45mins per half->for the die hard fan), option of having offsides, and yellow/red cards for foul play. You can simply play a friendly or in a league of 8 teams or play in the world cup starting either from the group stage or the last 16. There is also a password facility so you can save competitions.

Before starting (or anytime during) a match you can rearrange your teams formation (4-4-2,3-5-2,etc),team coverage (what part of the pitch your defence should cover for eg) and team strategy (defend,all-out attack,long ball,etc). You can also bring on subs at any time. Each player has a % rating for each ability such as speed, tackling, shot power, bicycle kicks, headers, etc.

Now to the game...incredible stuff!

The sound that you get from many carts can become tedious after a short time, not so here. The crowd chants are uncannily real, with choruses of 'Come on ye reds` mixed with boos and derisory whistles for offsides. The crowd even raises its voice in expectation of a shot. Simply superb.

Of course the sound ain't much good without some quality graphics and decent gameplay, and FIFA dosen't disappoint here either. The screen scrolls from bottom left to top right. The players movements are very free flowing with diving headers and bicycle kicks particularly awesome. Controlling the players can take a little getting used to...I still havent mastered the 'one-touch-movement' so far, but even with the most basic understanding, you can still score a few goals.

The 'A` button is used for lobs headers and sliding tackles The 'B` button for passing, tackling, volleying and gaining control of your man nearest the ball.

The 'C` button for shooting, shoulder charging and bicycles and 'B` & 'C` together for one-touch passing.

The length of time the button is held in determines distance/strength of pass/shot. You can also swerve the ball using aftertouch.

There is also the capability for 4-way-play as advertised on just about all the hoardings around the pitch, which could make for some really exciting games although personally I dont think its worth spending x amount of money on the adaptor plus two extra controllers. If youve already got them, well and good.

Overall, a really excellent game and an absolute must for anyone who is at all interested in soccer. Even i Only minor drawbacks are things like not showing the time on-screen, and having fictitious player names. But hell, before you know it, Brian Plank will become a household name, up there with the likes of Gazza and co.