[ForceWare]

As for the game itself, the big on-pitch difference between PES 2008 and last year's game is the introduction of Teamvision, which is essentially a posh name for enhanced player AI. In Konami's words, your opponent "adapts according to an individual's style of play", meaning the AI team will pick up on regular attack patterns and change their tactics accordingly. In practice it's quite subtle; playing as France, our preferred route of attack was to run it down the wing and then drag the ball back into the box where Henry would be waiting to slot it into the top corner. While this method worked the first few times (not always successfully we might add - there's no such thing as a guaranteed goal in Pro Evo) we noticed the full backs began tracking our runs more closely, reducing the chance of a decent cross being whipped in. The improved intelligence is much more noticeable on the tougher settings too and seasoned pros will no doubt welcome the increased challenge when playing a single-player game.

As well as being tactically sharper, your opponent is much more devious too. Indeed, playing dirty plays a bigger part of PES than ever before and we're not just talking tough tackles. On numerous occasions we witnessed theatrical swan dives from opposing strikers after we nicked the ball from their feet with a perfectly timed (and legitimate) tackle. Thankfully, the ref and linesman were sharp on each occasion, dishing out yellow cards to anyone trying to pull a fast one. However, Konami assures us that the official will sometimes get it wrong and that, if the ref is blind-sided, he could well give the foul the wrong way. But, like everything else in the game, a ref's mistake could well work in your favour and there's every chance you'll be awarded a penalty simply by falling over in the box!

On that note, tackling feels a lot more balanced in PES 2008. Strong players can ride the challenges much better this time around, with the likes of Drogba able to hold onto the ball under pressure, resulting in spectacular solo runs into the box. That said, scoring is no pushover, although it's more forgiving than in PES 6. Keepers react faster, running out to close down angles earlier and reducing the time you have on the ball. They're more proficient at saving long range shots too, unless you aim precisely for the top corners.

As a result, you have to work harder to score by playing the ball around the box and waiting for the right moment to shoot. Indeed, running in blindly and smacking the ball in the rough direction of the net rarely results in a goal. What's more, goalies are far more likely to palm shots away to the side rather than fumble them out into the six-yard box, so there are fewer chances to nick a cheap goal from up close.