Pro Evolution Soccer 5

If the word 'gameplay' ever makes it into the dictionary, it would surely is God, then Pro Evolution Soccer is its twelve disciples. The series is so spectacularly fun, plugging into its mesmerising action is as close as you can get to the real thing without adding a few vowels to your surname and kicking it in the A-League. So addictive, you could be sitting on the couch in the midst of a titanic battle while your house burns down around you, your guts boil and explode from your anus and an arsonist in a balaclava marches through your living room with the 'p' section of your CD collection, without even flinching. And in edition number five, everything gets a little bit better.

To the untrained eye, however, the multitude of shrewd tweaks and astute fine-tuning is so subtle it could go unnoticed. The basic structure is all but the same, with gamers able to bash it out straight away in friendlies, enter tournaments and cups or head into the in-depth Master League. The Master League is where it's at for the solo gamer, allowing you to play with the transfer market, trade and train players and build up a strong team that can challenge for silverware. There have been a few tweaks in this area - most obviously with the new player potential statistic - while the inclusion of a few new licenses (Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal, etc.) provides a bit more class. Add a more user-friendly online component and greater variety in the edit-a-player mode and your laughing.

However, it is in the series' legendary gameplay that veterans will revel in the judiciously matured gameplay. Everything just feels that little bit more real. From your first kick-off you will notice that the pace of the game has slowed down. Picking exactly what was the catalyst for this net affect is tricky, but there has clearly been plenty of work on the defensive controls. For starters, there if far more physicality between the players and you can position your defensive player aggressively and with greater foresight, intercepting many passes and crosses. Concurrently, ball control and passing has been dulled down in offence, guiding gameplay toward more team-orientated attack. The net result is reduced advantage from momentum and extremely punishing mid-field battles, even more so than previous versions, making scoring opportunities that much more precious, exciting and ultimately, rewarding.

There are plenty of other important enhancements too. Headers and set-plays (in particular free kicks) feel a lot more intuitive. Each character's strengths and weaknesses play into the game with far greater openness bringing greater strategy into components like substitution and formation. Throw-ins are marked by the A.I. a lot better (on a side not, the A.I is phenomenally sharp marking PES5 as one of the few sport games where you don't need a mate to have exhaustive competition) and the off-side rule now only comes into affect when the offside player become involved. And while the presentation is still sub-FIFA standards, the player likenesses have improved, the atmosphere remains electric and the animations are simply immaculate, although we are quite annoyed that the commentary hasn't been updated.

But who cares when the gameplay is this stunningly fantastic. Perfectly balanced, this is the ultimate Sim and the definitive title for not only soccer fans, but sport fans in general. It's a game that can never be outplayed, improving exponentially as you gradually hone your skills and allowing you to do, seemingly, anything that can be achieved in reality: to act with improvisation, precision and flair in believable ways. PES is God and in its fifth vision, that fact becomes ever clearer!

Score = 10/10