Newcastle United Club Football 2005

For the 2004/2005 season, the Codemasters Club Football 2005 range has emerged with a new game engine to power faster and more responsive gameplay. More clubs join Codies' range this year - Leeds United are understandably absent this time around - for their official video game. Over 20 top European football clubs from Manchester United to Real Madrid are included for 2005; Birmingham City are here too. Someone from Codemasters must have friends there...

Look, it's Kieron Dyer in a sulk! Club Football 2005 boasts some of the most detailed player modelling we've seen, with facial animations and expressions displaying as much emotion as the processor can muster. In addition to some of the more basic moves you can make in CF2005, there's a whole bunch of new skill moves including dummies, improved close control, feints and fine positioning adjustment. This is all very well, but the real challenge is to put it all together into a team performance. Nimble fingers are a must, naturally.

The most notable of all the new features, however, is the Precision Trigger. This is an all-new detailed control feature for close-up play. If you've got the ball - activate the Precision Trigger (R2 on PS2 pad) and get closer control of your player to dictate the next few crucial moves: drag the ball back or do a shimmy, find an extra yard, and have the space to fire your best shot at the goal before a defender gets in the way. So, with the Precision Trigger there's a great new alternative to sprinting with the ball and losing it to the first random defender to get in your face; something that happens all too often in footy games. Slow down play for a second to time that cross, give a teammate time to go on a run, or just to mess with your marker's head to send him the wrong way before you go for goal. Club Football 2005 gives you the choice to play the ball how you want - but only you can pull the trigger, so to speak.

With twice the amount of official team content in each game, great skill moves, new game modes including career, an in-depth practice option, and classic scenarios, plus over 250 playable clubs in each game, the new Club Football 2005 range will bring players even closer to their chosen team.