World Championship Rugby

Acclaim and Swordfish Studios bring us Johnny Wilkinson and the boys for the most entertaining digital rugger game yet.

For the defending team the controls are equally simple, perhaps too simple. Running into another player gives the standard tackle and there's a much harder tackle using the circle button. This tackle is so hard, that on the easier settings, nine times out of ten it will cause the attacking player to drop the ball. This is a little over the top. The control of defensive players isn't to the closest player as one might expect, instead the passing buttons are used to change control of the player up and down the line. It works rather well and means one can track along the line of defenders as the ball is passed across the line of attackers. It also makes for some entertaining violent play, as choosing the wrong defender when launching a hard tackle results in a vicious off-the-ball tackle that tends to have the ref blowing for a penalty.

While simple and easy to pick up, there do seem to be some control options lacking. It would be good if when defending there were several options for grabbing and tackling, along with barging too. And for the attackers there should be more options to defend from tackles, such as pushing a hand out or spinning away from the tackle. It is possible to jink right and left but it's hard to pull off.

Such simplicity is equally apparent in the athletic ability of the team members. Forwards tend to be unrealistically slow giants with the mobile ability of a sloth after a ball bearing breakfast, meanwhile wingers fly like the wind. On the easier skill levels at least, this means the player has a tendency to always try to get the ball out wide and run down the wing. As rucks and mauls become more practiced, and once one has got to grips with the kicking game, this tendency wears off. But the disparity in speeds between forwards and some of the backs/wingers does seem somewhat over-emphasised.

Kicking for penalties and conversions is not great. An arrow appears on the pitch showing direction and strength of kick. A small windmill icon enables the player to see which way the wind is blowing. Even the simplest kicks can be missed due to this method, which makes it hard to see how the arrow is lined up with the goalposts.

One of the most impressive aspects of the game is the referee. Most of the time, one doesn't notice the referee, which is just how things should be. But make a fowl tackle, throw a forward pass or knock-on and the whistle will blow. Advantage is played in sensible situations and it really does help the flow of the game.

WCR is by no means the prettiest sports game you will play this year. But without the development budget of a FIFA game, one would expect that. The graphics are never bad, just nothing to write home about. Stadiums are recognisable if not exactly gorgeous and on the PS2 version at least, some camera views can turn the game into a slow slideshow. However, the player animation is convincing and with the game played via the default touchline camera, it remains smooth. Support for widescreen TVs is included which makes the game look a whole lot better.

The commentary is a little dull and I certainly wished for the BBC commentary team a few times while playing WCR. The crowd noise and on field action is good, and there's a nice touch where the camera view switches to a crowd close-up occasionally - who look like a right motley collection of pikies.

In conclusion, there isn't really a better rugby union game available at the moment. Yes, the game is a little lacking in the options and visuals department, but if you want to recreate England's World Cup glory, take part in the Six Nations or just want a good run around with an oddly shaped ball then this is the game for you. In keeping the control method from Jonah Lomu Rugby, Swordfish has made the game instantly accessible and easy to pick up, yet with great exciting gameplay that comes from further practice. You may see flashier rugby games around from EA, but this is the one with all the playability.