ONE of the great PS2 games debates has always been which football simulation is the best. Last year Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer was widely regarding as the king, with FIFA 2002 coming in second place. However, a third game quietly appeared in the background and without any great hype has begun making a creditable name for itself. The game was This is Football 2002 from Sony and, in my opinion, it is the best of the bunch.

This is Football 2003 is simply outstanding the game is packed with so many teams, players and competitions, thus providing a massive degree of playability for beginners and seasoned sim pros and guaranteeing hours and hours of virtual football fun.

The graphics and sound are superb, with a lot of the world's top players instantly recognizable.

The developers have also got the FIFPro Licence, which enables them to use the superstars' real names though some of the top teams are named after the city in which they play (ie, Turin for Juventus), though these can be edited.

The game has several different modes which all relate to different formats of competition you can play international matches or enter one of the world's top leagues in places such as England (including Divisions One and Two), France, Argentina and Japan.

There are 700 teams to choose from, which equates to around 13,000 players.

You can edit teams and create your own players in the custom mode and even make a player in your own likeness if you fancied playing for your favourite team.

The game introduces a number of excellent new features including a new transfer system to buy and sell players and a challenge mode which pits you against tough opponents with your every move analysed and graded.

The controls are easy to pick up and with a little time and practice you should soon be able to win a trophy or two.

At the end of the game you are given a score and code which can be entered on the This is Football website to see how you fair against other TIF players worldwide pretty neat.

There is also a brilliant career mode where you start off as a youth team and try to take your team all the way to the top.

Commentary is provided by Peter Drury and as with TIF 2002 there are loads of different crowd noises and chants to add to the graphic realism on display.

So before you put Pro Evolution2 or FIFA 2003 on your Christmas wish list take a look at This is Football 2003.

It is definitely top of my league.

One could almost say the Manchester City of computer games.

Overall: 5/5