After spending many years on the bench, overshadowed by the hugely popular Pro Evolution series, EA have come onto the pitch with two goals in mind - to entertain and to take back the number one spot.

Nobody will deny that EA's FIFA 08 was a step in the right direction; it would have been easy for EA team to have sat back and let the ball come to them. But thankfully this is far from being the case as EA have tweaked the entire package into being perhaps the greatest football game ever released.

So what's been improved with the release of FIFA 09 then? Try weathering, crowds, ball physics, playing modes, tactical set-ups and virtually every other aspect of the beautiful game. No feature is on the same level as or worse than FIFA 08 - it's shocking that such a good football game could get so much better.

One of the new features is the 'Be a Pro' mode, which enables players to create a footballer and then play as them through their professional career. This means that after your player creation, your first task is to then get signed up for a club. Obviously you can get the opportunity to sign for different clubs as you progress though the game.

During a game in 'Be a Pro' mode, you literally only control your character, so get ready for plenty of waiting around whilst you only get a handful of touches per game. Obviously this isn't going to be everybody's cup of tea, but don't fret because all of the familiar tournaments, game play modes and teams are available that one would expect.

Another new feature, one that you need an Internet connection for, enables peoples season to reflect the real-life season. If a player is injured in real life, they'll be injured in the game. This feature is a stroke of true genius and really goes to show how much EA wants to give FIFA players a more in-depth experience than ever before I guess that there's little point to me telling you what the aim of this FIFA is or how to play it, but let me assure you that a football game has never felt this good. With graphics as realistic as they are, you'll be amazed at how your clothes don't get grass stained from just watching it on screen.

Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is due out today to try to knock FIFA 09 from the football video game top spot, but after their poor performance last season it's hard to visualise it even coming close.

SCORE 9 / 10