The latest in the Pro Evolution Soccer franchise features a brand new intelligence system, called Teamvision, that adapts and reacts to players own gameplay styles to ensure that the computer controlled opponents are always challenging. It learns counter attacks that target player's weaknesses and exploits any repetitive tactics used. Defenders react better to danger, closing down the ball and charging at shots and the goalkeepers hold shots that are closer to them. Teammates make more intelligent runs into space and the close control has been sharpened to ensure quick and fluid passing and speedy attacks can be built...

Released fourth months after the Xbox 360 version, PES 2008 actually works better as a portable game that it did as a console offering.

I'm not overly convinced that the PSP version's Teamvision is working as well as advertised. For starters I certainly didn't spot that the opposition were taking advantage of the weakness in my gameplay. Nor did I notice them blocking my attacks on their goal mouth - time and time again I'd make the same move only to catch the A.I. unaware. Having said that, if you want more of a challenge all you have to do is change the setting and away you go.

Some of the same complaints I made about the Xbox 360 version are still valid. Firstly there's no real skill to scoring goals. All you have to do, if you really want to just score as many points without really trying, is never pass to other players. Simply run up the pitch until it's you and the goalie... and shoot! That's it! More often than not you'll score.

There's also no skill needed to take the ball from the opposition. It's simply a case of pressing a button and your computer controlled team mates will run for the player with the ball - fantastic! There's also the annoying Play.com and IGN.com advertising (again their reviewers seem to have gone a little mad - giving this 8.9 out of 10).

At the end of the day this works extremely well as a portable soccer game. It's just a shame that the A.I. didn't really work as advertised.

7

Nick Smithson