Sensible Soccer 2006

Shot from above with the pitch running top to bottom, slanted slightly to the near end, you're able to see plenty and your range of passing quickly expands as you gather confidence quicker than Theo Walcott scampers down the wing.

Sensi's best known for those glorious swerving shots - it's the virtual origin of after-touch in most gamers' memories - but the truth is that long-range efforts are seldom successful; real results come from quick reactions in the box and pinpoint direction, with after-touch delivering lightning outside footers into the top of the net with a vicious reverse-swerve that beautifully captures the essence of what's attractive about adventurous football.

Looking good

Indeed, Sensi's a picture of exciting football, all slick moves and glorious finishes, and graphically Kuju has found a lovely middle-ground between the slick simplicity of old-days Sensi and the newfound detail of modern football games. Zoomed out, the players are as you might expect - comfortably detailed without finding complete form, but zoomed during a goal celebration they have a lovely super-deformed style of their own with their sturdy physiques and painted Cheetoh heads.

Played alone, there's much to keep you entertained - and whereas authenticity in stats is applauded in the likes of PES and FIFA the lack of licenses doesn't hurt Sensi, which offers humorous takes on famous names and a simplified rating system for teams and players. Nor does the range of unlicensed modes do it any harm, with tournaments of all kinds and two-player action high up on the agenda. A range of daft unlockables keeps you chipping away too. Nope - you can't fault Sensi's intention.