Fifa Street (XBox)

(Herald rating: * * *)

Remember those lavish Nike ads where soccer stars tapped, dribbled and headed balls around courtyards and apartment blocks?

They obviously gave the FIFA game developers something to think about. FIFA Street strips away the formalities and rules of world-class soccer and drags the game into the rundown neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro, New York and Marseille.

No longer do you take to manicured pitches in sprawling stadiums. Four-aside soccer games are held on makeshift courts. The ball bounces back into play off chain-link fences and graffiti-covered walls without a referee to keep order. The result is a grittier, faster-paced version of FIFA.

It's a rich vein to tap graphically, with the artwork, music and voiceovers making a good job of capturing the atmosphere of street sport culture. Big-name players, some of whom honed their skills in these very neighbourhoods, feature in the street football games and you can create your own character to progress through the rule-the-street mode.

The style of play differs greatly from FIFA and the controls are relatively easy to master.

Trick shots earn you points. One of the challenges is finding ways to taunt your opponents.

There's no such thing as a foul.

Those who tire of the throw-ins and goal-kicks of FIFA will appreciate the street games.

But what frees-up FIFA ultimately restricts it. After several games the settings become claustrophobic and the arcade feel of the streets overbearing. Many may find the real FIFA, with its big-field glory, is still the more satisfying game to play.

* $100 (G)