It would have been nice to make a cup run with Mia and the gals. But a huge disappointment is the lack of women's teams. A few international teams are missing (what have you done with the Ivory Coast?) and in post-goal celebrations the players faces look as if they've been constructed from hunks of volcanic rock. As far as flaws in the game, there aren't many. The penalty shoot-outs offer the same excitement as the real thing, though no one rips their shirts off after a monster goal. You'll have the option to pull your defense up to initiate an offside trap with the press of a button, and you'll have icon-style passing off throw-ins and free kicks. But of all the moves with the ball, some of the coolest are things you have control of without the ball. The three different game modes (amateur, professional and world class) offer plenty of challenge and serious replay value. I absolutely love the ability to break off a 360 spin after a double stepover. The control is masterful and the variety of special moves at your disposal are easy to learn and exciting to use. The most impressive part of FIFA 2000 is that it will appeal to both sim-freaks and arcade-heads. Let me say EA has simply outdone themselves with their latest soccer effort. They've also finally perfected the motion-capturing, meaning you should get instant responses from your players, rather than having that slight delay we've come to expect. Which will come in handy, because things are set to get a lot more physical with the inclusion of new fakes, dummies, flicks and trick shots that will lead to a host of devious infringements and retaliations. The players' faces are now so lifelike that it's possible to discern their emotions. Those weary of yet another update should reconsider their apathy, because the new 3D engine is set to cause quite a stir, with a wealth of innovative trickery on show.

The last joyous snippet of information - and the one critics have been waiting for - is that they're combining the best bits of the Actua Soccer series (multiple league and Cup scenarios) with their own renowned FIFA presentation, and a stadium full of ingame enhancements. Firstly, there's an all-new FIFA in the pipeline, and secondly, when they say 'all new' they mean exactly that, because this time round they've coded from scratch - from the turf up.

Fifa 99 multiplayer