Call me what you want - call me a poor player, call me an uneducated tactics maestro, but for God's sake, don't call me a noob. Call me a noob, and I'll remove one of those o's and throw the insult back at you in a fierce Yorkshire voice. Read: Halo 2.

Halo 2 is easy to get to grips with though but difficult to master. While I'd be stupid to compare Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 to Halo 2, there is one distinct difference. Brian Lara lacks any type of tutorial, so newcomers will be branded with the noob badge, and will, most likely be a noob for the rest of their Brian Lara days. I have to put myself in the pumps of a cricket fan now, for the sake of the review - but from a newcomer's point of view, I have to say that it isn't very tenderfoot friendly at all. It's a good job there's no online option, or that'd be another game I'd be called noob in - for all the wrong reasons too.

But it goes without saying that Brian Lara fans will love this game. They'll love the clean interface, the sheer amount of modes and options to tweak and select, the great commentary and superb graphics throughout. They'll also appreciate the fact that this game has been released to coincide with the cricket matches that I occasionally flick past when searching for Coronation Street. Mike Baldwin is Danny's father? What's up with that?!

One aspect I really enjoy in Brian Lara is the two different playing styles on offer. You get to play as the batter and the bowler - offence and defence. And if you're playing as the latter, expect to run after the ball and throw it back to your chums mid-field, using a precise gauge throwing engine, which you have to quickly adjust before the automatic throw. Jolly good show old chap! The batting position is just as exciting though - batting the ball as far as possible is a great feeling but those treating this game as baseball will be sadly disappointed; for a start there are no cheesy 'It's outta here!' phrases! Outlaw Cricket you say? But joking aside, both positions are satisfying to play - bowling needs to be acted upon quickly and just like the throwing, the bowling is done automatically and you must quickly decide where to bowl at the drop of a hat. Tactics are involved and it's great that most aspects in the game are fast paced, despite that fact that a good match could take up to an hour to complete.

From a newcomer's point of view, an hour could be too much - especially when you've lost badly in that hour due to the lack of a tutorial. Am I supposed to kick the ball? Am I supposed to throw the ball through the net? A wicket? While most newcomers will know what cricket is all about, getting into this game can be a real nightmare.

Back into the plimsolls of a cricket player and we can enjoy the amount of modes available. Exhibition matches, Tournaments, Challenge modes, which allow you to relive historic challenges, Career, where you can make your own players and you can even create your own squad with the semi-detailed squad maker. Not as good as Tiger Woods customisation but it's still here! In addition, there are loads of things to unlock which should keep any self-respecting cricket fan on his or her toes for a while. Fancy a cup of tea?

With my sneakers back on, I'm going to have to criticise the modes and say that they all feel extremely similar, almost too similar to be called a new mode - and if you don't know how to play a basic game, just try one of the more advanced ones! Bowling, batting and fielding gets a little repetitive after a while, as does the commentary after hearing the same old man talk about Brian Lara and how the sun shines out of his helmet on four or five different occasions. Put a sock in it mate!

I've got my white trainers on again and I know for a fact that you'll appreciate the fact that you can play with a friend; although it's not online supported, there's nothing like playing with a real mate right there in the same room. You're also going to enjoy the realism with this game, all the authenticity in a sport that EA has yet to steal!

The graphics are quite good looking; the greens are green, the players lare polished and the close ups look appealing. Camera angles and slow motion replays look great, my only real complaint with the graphics is how two dimensional the characters' faces look. The sound does a good job of adding atmosphere, with the crowd cheering and clapping, and the commentary (for the first couple of days at least) is well spoken, if not a little repetitive after a while.

If you're a cricket fan, I know that you're going to enjoy Brian Lara International Cricket 2005 - but when I put my own shoes back on, as a newcomer to the genre, I feel unwelcome, like an outsider. I had to study the manual to learn how to play the game, which took me a good hour or so. I feel that there's room for improvement here, if they'd only take advice from casual players. Make it a little less serious and more open arms to players that want to get into a cricket game. Surely a tutorial with some useful hints and interactive instruction isn't too much to ask? I think you already know whether or not you're interested in our Brian, if you're a fan of the sport then this is a great representation and if not, then unlike Tiger Woods it's not going to convert you.

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