It seems that there's an 'Official World Cup' sponsor for everything imaginable at the moment. Beer, petrol... what next? An Official World Cup toothpaste? At least this game is a little more in keeping with the spirit of the World Cup, and despite the numerous other football-related titles appearing on the shelves at the moment, this is the officially-sanctioned computer game.

All that really means is that Electronic Arts gets to use the silly blue chicken mascot to promote the game, although the developers have wisely steered clear of the official England song in favour of Chumbawumba's more melodious track. To be fair, though, EA has called in the big guns for this one. Match commentary comes from Lineker, Waddle, Motson, Lynham et al (the quote of the match has to be "Couldn't hit a cow's backside with a banjo, this fellow." Guess who?), while every qualifying team is included in the game, making for some entertaining and sometimes ludicrously one-sided matches.

As with most computer-based football games, you don't control everything. The goal-keeper, for example, is best left alone, as his reactions are pretty good without any outside interference. Even the other ten players will get along quite happily on their own; they'll tackle opposing players to get the ball, and it's only really then that you, the human player, have to get involved. There's quite a lot you can do once you've got the ball. Passing and shooting are only part of it; with some deft presses of the keyboard or joypad (this game is available for PC and PlayStation), it is possible to produce some impressive special moves, particularly with the more well-known players. It's not always a clean competition, either, with fouls, sendings off and yellow or red cards appearing quite frequently, helping to keep things realistic.

One of the more silly aspects of this game is the celebration that occurs when a goal is scored. Like real life, it can get a bit nauseating. If you're playing the computer, you'll probably see plenty of these celebrations, as the game doesn't get particularly difficult until well into the competition. For the most fun, though, invite a friend round, crack open a few tins of beer, put on a CD of terrace chants and have a nice, friendly two-player game. England versus Germany should do the trick...

World Cup 98 looks good (especially on the PC - see below), plays well (especially on the PlayStation), and has enough atmosphere to make you think you're actually in France. In two-player mode, in fact, it could be even more exciting than the real thing. Even people who hate football might be tempted to give this a try.