Winning Eleven 10 review

Even the compulsory new tricks - although they work fine - feel as though we've used them before. Take the Matthew's Feint - if you remove the sleight of foot, it's essentially the shoulder drop of old with some fancy legwork added on. It looks nice, but it's not really adding anything except style.

Then there's the 'new' drag-back (inspired by the world's ugliest footballer, Ronaldinho). It's actually just a normal drag-back, but with more flair in the execution. OK, we're nit-picking, but maybe concentrating on the fumbling keepers - who often struggle with shots that come straight at them - may have been time better spent?

Grumbles and cosmetic enhancements aside (oh, did we mention some of the most scarily realistic player models we've ever seen?), WE10 has all the thrills of real football - but you knew that already.

Above: Little Carlos built up his leg strength up by lugging heavy machinery around as a child. True

At first it does feel tricky, though. The number of times we've hit the post and bar is frustratingly high (a record eight times in one match, would you believe?) but this can happen in football so we'll let that slide.

Soon you'll be powering home headers (complete with new leaping animations), curling pinpoint accurate drives into the top corner and unleashing staggering volleys as the ball drops over your player's shoulder.

And now it doesn't seem so likely to always try a daft header from 30 yards out when you're gearing up for a rocket shot and you'll be gasping in awe as your little fellas shape up for dazzling scissor kicks from audacious angles. Whether it goes in is another question entirely, mind.