Brining the World Cup to your fingertips

THE BEAUTY of playing video games is the way they can make your dreams come true. Take the World Cup, for instance. Although every patriotic bone in my body hopes otherwise, the odds on Beckham and the boys returning from the Far East with the Jules Rimet trophy are very long indeed.

Dogged by injuries and facing formidable opposition from the start they will do well to even progress beyond the group stages.

Unless, of course, you happen to own one of the following: a PlayStation, PlayStation 2, a Microsoft X-Box, a Nintendo Game Cube or a PC.

Trust Electronic Arts to bring the World Cup to life via the world of video games. The American giant has been churning out football simulations for a decade now and its vast reserves of cash ensured the World Cup licence was going nowhere else (especially not in Konami's direction).

So 2002 Fifa World Cup serves up all the teams, all the players and all the stadia in the smallest detail.

And, with one eye on sales north of the English border, you can even select to play as some teams that didn't make the finals, like Scotland.

This World Cup entrant is a "special edition" of the Fifa series. The gameplay is based on the last instalment of Britain's most popular football title. Fans who missed the FIFA 2002 update a few months ago are in for a shock.

The old one-button passing game has been scrapped in favour of a more difficult method that uses a power bar to charge up your crosses, through bells and so on, before letting go.

Initially, at least, this usually sees your players punting the ball too far forward or a crucial pass falling short. Stick with it, though, and you'll soon get the hang of it. After a few matches, your team will be sending perfectly weighted passes into the opposition area so your star player can run on to it and score.

Scoring is something you'll be doing rather a lot of because the game still has those "sweet spots" that enable even the worst striker to hit the back of the net time after time. Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami eliminated this problem years ago but the Fifa series has still to catch up it seems.

Players familiar with the series will find it too easy to score. Where Pro Evolution requires patient build-up, Fifa repays an attacking arcade style with goals galore, leading to totally unrealistic score lines. You can tweak the difficulty level - and the game speed - but that's only EA's way of papering over the cracks.

In other respects, this World Cup edition is top notch.

The presentation puts every other soccer game to the sword. When you boot up your console of choice, don't just dive straight into the first game - kick back and savour the big match atmosphere.

As the players emerge from the tunnel and take to the pitch I guarantee your heart will be in your mouth.

Visually the game looks great. Of course, the PlayStation version is now the runt of the litter but even the old stager seems fine until, that is, you try the X-Box or the PS2 variant. EA is to be commended for keeping the PC minimum specifications down to a sensible level too although you'll need a fair bit more to enjoy the game in all its high resolution glory.

You'll recognise famous players (especially your "star" men who have extra abilities in key areas), although the celebration movies after a goal do make them look a bit like extras from a George Romero Night of the Living Dead sequel.

Ultimately, Fifa: World Cup is an excellent souvenir of what promises to be an exciting spectacle in real life. You'll have fun changing history (I thrashed the Argies 6-nil and went on to lift the trophy in great style) but eventually you will find yourself hankering after a game with real teams and real leagues.

Viewed as a stylish accompaniment to the main course Fifa: World Cup is an entertaining diversion. Just don't expect to be dusting it down for "just one more go" this time next year.

Barbie Pet Patrol. Platform: PC CD ROM. Price: £19.99. Publisher: Vivendi Universal.

WHILE millions of us will be glued to the box watching the World Cup for the next few weeks, what is there for those who don't enjoy football?

If you have a young daughter, may I suggest a copy of Barbie Pet Patrol to keep the peace while the matches are on?

It's pretty simply stuff. Take control of the famous plastic doll and drive a scooter, truck or snazzy drop-top sportscar around the place looking for lost animals. There are hidden games to boost your pup rescue prowess while poorly pooches have to be given plenty of TLC if they are to make a full recovery and live happily ever after.

And it isn't just dogs. There are loads of different critters to re-home ranging from the usual dogs and ponies to a kola bear and a deer (shades of Bambi).

The trick is using your brain to catch the animals so they can be cured. If you are stumped, the game will offer its own subtle (and not so subtle) hints on how the stubborn little furballs can be nabbed.

Barbie Pet Patrol might not be Mario 64 - and it's certainly a long distant relative of Halo - but as a time-waster for youngsters, it is just the thing.

Published: 31/05/2002