Sven Goran Eriksson's World Challenge

Coming to retail right at the start of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, every football-loving Englishman's favourite Swede has put his name to this all-action, multi-syllabic soccerfest. Sven Goran Eriksson's World Challenge, developed by soccer game genius Anco, does not disappoint. They've been around for a long time and know what a good football game is made of, and although this isn't one of their management sims, they still know the football genre inside out.

Sven Goran Eriksson's World Challenge is one of the fastest football games around, delivering end-to-end action. There is an authentic recreation of the World Cup tournament, including qualification stages as well as the lucky 32 who made it through to the finals, the former feature being something gamers have missed out on this time around with certain other World Cup-based offerings this year. You can take Uzbekistan to the finals after all!

Also featured are all the stadia that play host to the matches throughout the finals, again, accurately recreated. The control system in-game is a delight to use, and there are some neat touches you can utilise when your team is in possession of the ball, such as through-balls, the 'ball over the top', and a super-sensitive after-touch feature when unleashing a shot which can make your goal scoring feats more spectacular than usual.

It's a timely release from 3DO, and one that should not be ignored by any PC-owning football fan. So if you fancy writing your own page in World Cup history, before, during or after the big kick-off, Sven Goran Eriksson's World Challenge is an ideal way to do it.