Also Available On: PS3, PS2, PSP and PC
Publisher: EA Sports
Age Rating: 3+

While the last FIFA game from EA Sports was arguably the best yet, the creators have put their heads together in an attempt to create a football game to outdo them all.

Euro 2008 is essentially FIFA 08, but with a variety of tweaks and updates in just the right places to make this a worthy successor.

Improved header contests, easier on-the-ball control and a simplified passing meter are nice additions, but the real improvements come in the form of the excellent new game modes.

Captain Your Country is very similar to FIFA 08’s Be A Pro mode, allowing you to take control of a single player instead of switching between the team member closest to the ball.

In Be A Pro, however, gamers could only take part in a single one-off match, but in Euro 2008 the developers have listened to the criticism and extended the idea to allow for a fully fledged career.

You begin by creating a player, selecting hairstyle etc, and then you play matches, controlling just your player, with the goal of winning international captaincy by impressing with startling performances.

A good shot here and a stunning pass there will see your ratings rocket as you’re awarded between 1 and 10 after each game for passing, positioning, shooting, tackling and dribbling. And once you become captain, you are handed more control, altering team formations and deciding when a substitute is needed.

Captain Your Country, which also allows up to three friends to join in, is one of the finest game modes to appear in a soccer game. It works superbly well and the way your AI teammates manage to read your mind is surprisingly accurate, accepting your passes and putting in some Beckham-like crosses when you’re in front of the goal mouth.

Perhaps even better than Captain Your Country, however, is the Battle of the Nations mode. Here, you select your nation, and then choose your team (which can be different from nation) and your performance will count towards an overall leaderboard for your country.

At the end of the tournament, the winning nation is named European Champions. What is really clever, however, is that EA has created the mode so that those gamers attempting to win the championship with an underdog team will be more highly rewarded than those who choose a top class side.

Making it more attractive to take on a poor team to reach the top, rather than taking the easier route of using a first class squad, adds depth to the game and gives players more of a compelling challenge.

Elsewhere, EA has attempted to bring more personalisation to the game. An interactive celebration allows you to create your own style, such as performing a salute or the infamous aeroplane. Best of all, however, is the commentary. With around 200 surnames built into the game, if yours is one of them you can enjoy the delights of Clive Tyldesley shouting out your name when you’re on the ball.

A nice addition to the game is the Euro Online Knockout Cup for up to 16 players, providing the opportunity to take part in some global soccer action, as well as one-off online matches.

Euro 2008 is a sensational soccer game, with the sublime play of FIFA 08 and some of the best new game modes ever. Although this only includes national sides, it’s a must for all fans of the beautiful game. Let’s hope EA takes all these lovely additions and includes them in FIFA 09 - now that would be something.