Are you FI-FA, are you FI-FA, are you FIFA in dis-guise!

I make no apologies for the terrace chanting that begins this review, because if I am brutally honest, UEFA Euro 2008 is FIFA 08 dressed in this summer's European championship regalia, with a few tweaks thrown in for good measure. Now, you might think that the rest of this review will relentlessly portray UEFA Euro 2008 as the inevitable cash-in for this summer's big tournament - and I accept the fact that paying full price for a game that is effectively FIFA 08 v2.0 is a little cheeky to say the least. However, I prefer to look on the less cynical side of matters and view the FIFA series as a title that is blossoming and beginning to finally realise its full potential. With every new release, the developers of FIFA hare finding the right balance to produce a football simulation that may have us, eventually, racking our brains to remember the time when a game called Pro Evolution Soccer led the way in terms of addictive and realistic gameplay.

So, let's get the negativity and reasons for feeling cheated out of the way now. The first complaint that may be levelled at UEFA Euro 2008 is not a valid one in my opinion. Some will bemoan the fact that the title has far less teams to choose from than the huge roster in FIFA 08. True, it has far less teams, as the clubs have been replaced by the fifty-two European national squads that competed in the qualifying rounds leading up to the European championships in Austria and Switzerland this summer. This should be no surprise to anyone thinking of purchasing this game, but if you think that not being able to control Manchester United in an international tournament like the European championships is a travesty then maybe you are better off sticking to FIFA 08 instead.

With fewer tournaments to compete in, UEFA Euro 2008 can feel a little empty and make you question the price tag with a further FIFA update probably due before the year is out. It doesn't feel as lightweight as the first next-generation title, FIFA 07, which inexplicably contained only a handful of teams compared to the previous generations efforts, but once the summer's festivities are over it's a title that may not have the greatest lifespan, forcing you to dust off your copy of FIFA 08 in July to get your club football fix once the tournament has ended. However, once you revert back to the previous version of EA's long-running series, you will instantly notice the improvements in this latest incarnation.

The controls and gameplay have been tweaked in a way that makes a remarkable difference to the FIFA experience. At times, FIFA 08 - which is arguably the best in the series so far - suffered from a lack of speed. Only the very best players - the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry - could leave defenders in their wake without being caught. The rest were pretty sluggish to react at times, but now the pace of the game has been increased. This has a positive effect on the game twofold. It also makes passing the ball feel more intuitive, allowing you to put together great passing combinations and increasing your team's attacking options.

And whilst on the subject of improved passing, EA has also enhanced the through-ball button, which was one of the most frustrating aspects of FIFA 08. Being able to slice open the opposition's defence with a single push of the button can be very satisfying when you get it right, and Pro Evolution Soccer has mastered the simplicity of this move. FIFA however has struggled to get this right. There was almost no point using the through-ball button in the previous game, as the ball would very rarely find a teammate and would usually be intercepted by an opponent. This time around it feels like a viable attacking option and works very well; when an avenue for a pass appears, your teammates are on the same wavelength this time and make the runs necessary for you to exploit the defence.

UEFA Euro 2008 is a more intelligent game than FIFA 08. Players react more wisely than before and teams play differently, depending on their abilities. Mirroring real tactics employed by the weaker nations in the qualifying stages adds a sense of realism to proceedings. There is a well-used phrase in football that insists there are no easy games in international competition these days, and UEFA Euro 2008 does its best to replicate this viewpoint. For instance, playing against the minnows of European football brings its difficulties. Teams are ultra-defensive and tend to get all eleven players behind the ball, making it very difficult to break through the defence. It forces you to be patient, keep the ball and find the right pass. Introducing these tactics means that you will need to adapt to all of your opponents, whereas in the past, smaller teams were just fodder. The only criticism about this feature is that they may have made the smaller teams a bit too hard to break down, meaning that the higher ranked teams are sometimes easier to play against. Let's hope that the improvements to the gameplay are tweaked and duplicated in the next FIFA update, which will make it a mouth-watering prospect.

The gameplay modes are in-keeping with other FIFA titles as well. You can choose to play just an individual match, penalty shootout or you can play through the European championship from the qualifying stage or the actual tournament proper. There is also a vast array of online features to enjoy, including ranked and unranked matches, leagues and a knockout cup. Another new online feature that should be transported to future FIFA releases is called Battle of the Nations. At the beginning of the game you are asked to choose the country you wish to represent in the Battle of the Nations. After you have chosen your country, your performance is scored in every game you play, either offline or online and regardless of whether you play as your initial chosen country or any of the other fifty-one nations. A number of factors are taken into consideration to determine your score. For instance, the weaker the team you choose to play as, the more points you receive if you beat a higher ranked team. EA most probably introduced this to inject some life into the online matches, which had a habit of becoming a little mundane with everybody choosing the best teams to compete with. Only time will tell how successful a deterrent this will be, but the more points you can gain the better, as they are added to your nation's final total, which will be calculated until the end of June. There is no prize at stake - only pride.

Other modes include the story of qualifying, an offline mode that is similar to the challenge mode in FIFA 08. A scenario is set for you from the story of the qualifying rounds and you must complete the tasks to progress to the next challenge. The most innovative offline mode though is Captain Your Country, a must-have for the next FIFA release. This is an extension of last year's selling point, Be A Pro, where for the first time in FIFA history you could control just one member of the team. It was one of the best innovations to happen in the football simulation market for some time; being able to compete offline or online as your favourite footballer has added hours of extra gameplay, as you now have to adapt your game to suit this new way of playing.

Captain Your Country once again allows you to control your favourite international star or create your own player from scratch. After you have created or chosen your player, you need to choose a further three computer-controlled or human players to compete against to gain your country's captaincy. Your first match is not with the first-team but the reserve squad - and you will need to outshine the other three players in order to be selected for future matches, with your overall score determined by your positional play, successful passing, tackling and shots on goal. As the game progresses your match score is shown at the bottom of the screen, as well as those of your three adversaries. If you make a few unsuccessful passes then expect the score to plummet and the crowd to boo your every touch. Every position has its different responsibilities, so it may be vital for a forward to score goals to increase his score, while heading and tackling are high on a defender's priority list. If you perform successfully in the reserve fixture, your player may well be called into the first-squad for a friendly match or even a qualifier. As you become an established member of the squad, it is up to you to show the manager that you are captain material before the team reaches the European championship for real. With consistent performances comes recognition and the chance to captain your country - but one bad performance could see that snatched away from you. Each match you play gives you the opportunity to earn experience points, which can be used to boost certain skill areas that your player may be lacking in, so by the time the championship comes around you should have a player that is capable of competing against the very best. This mode would be an absolute joy to play with club teams as well and EA will go a long way to improving their next title if they include it.

Cosmetically the game hasn't changed much, with just a UEFA Euro 2008 lick of paint. All the stadiums and razzmatazz that will feature in the tournament have been faithfully recreated. Weather effects have also been introduced and actually have a bearing on how you play; puddles form on the surface of the pitch, slowing the ball down as it moves across the grass. If the pitch is a little muddy in places, the ball tends to not run as true as it would on a perfect pitch, so you may have to adapt by passing in the air rather than on the ground. EA have worked on realistic crowd noises too, which now mirror how the team is performing on the pitch. If you are losing 3-0 then expect to hear the opposition fans singing their national football songs, whilst your fans are stunned into silence and vice versa.

EA has also introduced cut scenes depicting the national managers barking their orders from the touchline. Unfortunately, they must have found Fabio Capello's likeness too tough to replicate because England fans have to put up with a reminder of their failure to reach the tournament, as they are still guided in-game by Steve McClaren. Whilst I am nitpicking here, it is a little strange that the official videogame for the European championships doesn't have all of the official players and kits. Anyone who wants to be The Netherlands - one of the top nations competing this summer - has to put up with mock Dutch names and kits that look like they have been lifted from Pro Evolution Soccer. Obviously the individual national licenses have caused this problem, but it is very strange for an officially licensed product not to replicate all of the teams competing in the tournament.

Putting aside the grumbles with price and the frustrating licensing issue, UEFA Euro 2008 is a slightly better game of football than FIFA 08, which bodes well for the next release - but that is a problem in itself. The question has to be asked, should I wait until the inevitable update at the end of the year? If it includes the same crisp, responsive gameplay and incorporates Captain Your Country (or Captain Your Club as it would be) then my answer would be hold onto your money and wait until the new football season kicks off. However, if you can't wait that long then I would thoroughly recommend UEFA Euro 2008 - and once you're through with it, you can always trade it in to snap up FIFA 09 for a song, or indeed, a chant.

Reviewed by Mark Carlton for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).