Graphics

There isn't much to report from a graphical perspective for this game, with the options limited to changing resolutions and detail levels. This is down to the fact that the game uses the same engine as the Xbox version, which is old-generation graphics.

After playing the 360 version a few days ago, though, I have to say the PC is big step backwards. This has meant the requirements have remained fairly low: 64MB Graphics card, 1.3 GHz CPU, 256MB memory all means that you can quite possibly run FIFA 07 on your laptop.

In terms of player likeness FIFA does a pretty good job, I particularly liked seeing Peter Crouch doing the robot after scoring a goal. They have also introduced a bloom effect to give the game a Hollywood look. Don't buy this game if you're after fancy graphics though, as you'll be left disappointed.

Sound

As per usual, the sound for FIFA is the best in the world of football games. It comes with a great soundtrack that you hear in the menu screens with tracks ranging from drum 'n' base, dance, folk and plently more. It has a worldwide feel to it too, with tracks coming from Latin America adding that little bit of samba spice to your game.

Once again though, in-game commentary isn't brilliant. Reptitive phrases that usually don't match up to the in-game action made me reach for the "commentary off" button. I really hope they solve this problem with the next generation of football games because the last five years of commentary has been hellishly bad, I don't want to hear "That's a great save!" when I am taking a throw in thank-you-very-much.

Controls

A quick mention on the control system in the game. I found the keyboard pretty restrictive to play with, but I know that some PC footy gamers love it. It comes down to a matter of preference. I used a wired Xbox 360 controller which worked fine, however I did run into one problem.

Some of the in-game moves, such as tricks, are quite complicated and I found myself referring to the manual quite a bit. Unfortunately, the manual only tells you how to do the trick if you are using the keyboard. They provide a key for turning the letters of the keyboard into numbers which then equates to the buttons on your joypad. This is all very confusing and required me to go through the configuration process writing everything down so that I knew which button did what. If you're using the 360 controller then you will have to do this if you plan on using some of the more complex manoeuvres.

Miscellany

So what of the other features? There are some videos which may be of interest to Rooney fans, where he talks about his favourite goal and what he thinks of being on the front cover with Ronaldhino (the ugliest cover for a game ever?). The game also keeps track of your statistics which for some may be a bit of an unwanted feature – I beg you not to look too closely at my multiplayer record (Wil forced me to put it in).

Conclusion

All in all FIFA 07 is an improvement on previous versions of the game and I'd go as far to say is a great buy for any avid football gamer. However, if you're like me and only have time for one football game this year then I'd hold off buying this and wait for the release of Pro Evolution Soccer 6 which is out later this month, if only to see how well it compares.

FIFA as a franchise is on the up, which can only be a good thing for football games in general. Hopefully this will spark a reaction from Konami and we'll see an even better Pro Evo game. If you want to play FIFA you can pick it up for £26.99 from Play, just click that linkaRooney (see what I did there?)