FIFA 08 review

Now a few smaller niggles, like set pieces. Free kicks remain hit-and-hope exercises, corners are marginally better but still more luck than judgment, while throw-ins are preposterously identikit, with the same three pairs of players jostling no matter where the throw takes place.

Beyond the pitch, the menu system remains a total pain to navigate, poorly translated from console to PC, with buttons annoyingly changing function from screen to screen. The could-be-great Manager mode is still fatally hobbled by the truly stupid, not even remotely realistic way transfers work, the rather silly news stories, and the inadequate morale and fitness systems. And the tournament options are predictably, disappointingly weak, presumably so as not to steal any thunder from the inevitable Euro 2008 tie-in to come.

Oh, and there's an irritating camera bug that, after a replay of, say, a near miss, will inexplicably switch you to the useless end-to-end view, forcing you to pause and switch back to a playable one.