2002 Fifa World Cup (EA Sports, PC General)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * * * )

What is a Brazilian who doesn't like soccer? Answer: Not a Brazilian. That's one of the gems in EA's 2002 Fifa World Cup and it sums up perfectly the passion aroused by the beautiful game.

The round-ball version of football is a game of skill and grace played all over the world, from the grimy terraces of Manchester to the beaches of Rio.

2002 FIFAWorld Cup captures that essence in an authentic and visually excellent game, featuring all of the stadiums, teams and players in the tournament.

There are some historical glitches — my England team had the injured Gary Neville at right back, but it was a simple matter to slot in Danny Mills and save the new team for future games.

I couldn't resist matching up France and England in my first game. After all, that will be the final, won't it?

A lifelike David Beckham and Thierry Henry led their teams on to the pitch and the Zinedine Zidane-Henry combination soon began to find gaping holes in the English defence.

England fought back when I cottoned on to the fact that Beckham had a star over his head. This indicated that he is, wait for it, a star player. I concentrated my efforts on him, and a 40m diagonal pass found Heskey, who held it while Michael Owen (another star) ran on to beat Barthez.

Magic. Sadly, France managed to score six goals in reply, but unlike the real tournament, there's always a rematch tomorrow.

I may tweak my side. I've always had a sneaking admiration for Nick Barmby. And I don't like Sven Goran Ericsson's defensive 4-4-2 system. I think I'll try a more attacking 4-3-3, with Barmby playing out wide.

Just to make sure, I'll field the French reserve team against this new-look England. Surely we'll win then?

peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz

nzherald.co.nz/fifaworldcup

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