I've played that many football titles lately, I feel as if I could teach the pros a thing or two when it comes up to those World Cup games! Most of my football spree has been spent on latest instalments of Pro Evo and FIFA for the consoles. Both of these titles are making their appearance on the PSP too, undoubtedly competing once again for gamers' hands everywhere. But there's another contender, a worthy first party contender. Without even playing the competition, I know that Sony's World Tour Soccer for the PSP is a winner.

I had played World Tour Soccer for no longer than half an hour when I decided that this game would indeed get my praises. In that 30 minutes, I had won two out of three matches, I had cheered wholeheartedly in my lounge on countless occasions, ruining my family's TV viewing pleasure at the same time - I had cursed at the opposing team like a proper football hooligan and yet I longed for more. Thinking about it now, I can safely say that I haven't been this captivated by a football title for a long time. Sure, the PS2 titles really do appeal to wide audiences, but this game just seems to reach out that bit further and make the effort to truly create an experience that anybody can enjoy - absolutely anybody.

World Tour Soccer's strong points don't really lie in its modes. Although there are plenty of modes on offer, these modes don't really differ too much from each other - but it doesn't really matter . Quick match drops you into a match with little in the way of configuration, whereas Exhibition mode is just like a Quick Match with a few choices - such as how long the game lasts. Cup mode is just like Exhibition, only this time you earn a cup at the end of a few successful matches and you can customise things such as team formation - but I wouldn't call any of these things selling points. Lastly, there is a Challenge Mode, which is probably the most unique mode on offer, where you earn points for classic passes and lose them for sloppy ones. This rule more or less applies to every football aspect, so in other words, you're judged on your overall performance.

It looks as if each mode expands on the last, and that's just what it does. However, World Tour Soccer doesn't need fancy modes, special managing areas or VIP Rooms; it does what it needs to do without making things complex. As a result, we see most of the effort put into the actual gameplay - which is unquestionably this game's top trump.

World Tour Soccer feels like any other great football game at first. The controls are easy enough to get to grips with, the graphics look pretty darn superb and the crowd in the background are cheering. When you kick off though and you get the ball under your control, you will realise how this game differs from it's the competition. Firstly, the passing is an absolute breeze and a fantastic joy to watch. You simply press X and a direction with the analogue controls and your player passes extremely fluidly in your chosen direction. You can even combine that with a shoulder button or two, to throw your opponents off.

But it doesn't end there. Shooting and crossing are just so easy to execute. All they require is one tap of a button; there's no complex combos. I suppose this still sounds like any other football game, but trust me, this game is amazingly simple and addictive - it's pure gameplay all the way. Another thing that contributes to the straightforward enthralling gameplay is the map and arrow system. The map is common on football games and on World Tour Soccer the football map really isn't that different - your players are marked with a coloured dot, as are the opposing teams. But when you're running with the ball you can see little arrows that show you the direction and distance of your other players - which works especially well on the PSP. With the combination of the map and these arrows, you can easily navigate your way to the goal, avoiding the opposition to pass back and forth between your team and eventually pull off a well-earned goal.

The defence part of World Tour Soccer works just as well as the offence. You can switch characters on the fly and tackle with almost every button; each performs a slightly different tackle, all being good in specific scenarios, but there's really nothing too difficult to get to grips with. So if you do manage to lose the ball, you can easily acquire it again with some clever tackling. The game really isn't as easy as I might make it sound - there are many difficulty settings, all of which improve the AI slightly to give you a tougher time. But even in the harder matches, the easy to use controls and clear arrows on the fantastic map make it feel so natural. With all these friendly features, the learning curve for this game is minimal and you can work your way up the difficulties in no time at all.

The graphics in World Tour Soccer are superb, probably on a par with Pro Evolution and maybe even better. A lot of care and effort has gone into the realistic movements for your team and the stadium design is a real treat for a handheld. Replays are even better too, with close-ups of the star performers, featuring realistic faces. When the replay finishes, it moves out of the way in a frame to reveal the gameplay again - such an effect you wouldn't expect to see on a dinky PSP. Only one small complaint though - the crowds look a little two dimensional, but other than that, World Tour Soccer excels in this department.

The sound isn't nearly as good though and is probably World Tour Soccer's weak spot. There's a bit of music in the menu system which does a good job of breaking a silence, but it isn't exactly the most memorable music either. In matches the commentary is a little on the drab side. The commentator won't really talk to the player like they do in other football games. In this one, he simply says the names of the player with the ball - and won't come out with any remarks to improve the football ambience, which is a shame. The cheering crowd does a good job of making goals feel as satisfying as ever though!

Would Tour Soccer is one of those simple and addictive games that should be tried by every PSP owner. A multiplayer mode is the icing on the cake that allows you to play head to head with a friend, but the real joy lies in the single player matches, where satisfaction is only a stone's throw away. I'll look forward to a sequel with possible online play and better sound, but until then, this game is a good contender for the PSP football crown.

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).