EA Sports have played a blinder.

With the timing of legendary George Best at his peak, the leading sports games developers have just released World Cup 98 for the PlayStation.

And its perfect timing is more than equalled by a classy game that should should keep soccer-mad gamers busy - and very happy - in between watching the World Cup on the box.

However, EA's World Cup 98 will still be in demand long after the real thing is forgotten (unless England win, of course).

There are plenty of soccer games on the shelves, some good, a few decidedly dodgy. But if you have a few bob to spend and you want to keep that fantastic World Cup atmosphere alive and well in your own home then World Cup 98 is the one to have.

Unlike many games, World Cup 98 doesn't take hours to get to grips with. Unusually for me, I was soon in action, making some telling tackles, super passes and even managing a couple of goals!

But that's not to say it's easy, it's just very user friendly which equals plenty of fun.

Visually the game is spot on, capturing the magic spirit of the world's top sporting occasion and complemented with a great commentary from a line-up that includes John Motson, Gary Lineker 'They Think It's All Over' Kenneth Wolstenholme and smoothie Des Lynam. The game features all the qualifying teams (and in this fantasy world Gazza made it to France), star player moves where the big names have their own special skills and realistic team strategies.

The latest motion capture techniques really bring the players alive with some great moves and special skills and celebrations like piggy backs and chest buts.

The more you get into the game, the more skilful you will become and the greater the enjoyment. And there is lots to learn, including sprinting, poke shots, lobs, chip shots etc, with different responses from the players in attack and defence.

But there's plenty more and you can really put the pressure on your opponent with skill mode, where your star man can perfect techniques such as rainbow kicks, fake passes and stepover nutmegs.

Anyway, all I'm trying to say is that World Cup 98 is pretty damn good.

Now I'm getting back to the PlayStation for my own World Cup where England are beating Germany 8-0 in the final! If only...JE.

Calling all games fans

Have you bought a game recently that you really like and want to recommend to others, whether on PC, N64 or PlayStation? Or do you have any tips or moans about a particular game? If so, we would like your views for use in the Games File column. Send your comments to Games File, Blackburn Citizen, High Street, Blackburn BB1 1HT

Men In Black

I GET a little sceptical when I hear that a video game is to be released based on a block-buster movie. It's just another way to rake in the cash; blow the game quality, it will sell on the name alone.

This time, don't worry for Gremlin Interactive's Men In Black out now for the PlayStation is definitely a cut above. The game was actually released for the PC last year and was a huge hit and the PlayStation version, apparently, is superior.

I don't know about that but what I can say is that early impressions are pretty good.

MIB is a third-person adventure with a huge array of locations - around 200! - created with really gee-whiz graphics. And the main characters also look pretty good, as the stars of the film - Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Fiorentino - each gave the OK for their likenesses to be used in the game.

In fact, the game boasts some of the best character rendering yet.

You can be any of the three main characters, but you start with New York cop Jay Edwards. Fed-up with the Big Apple's nutters and weirdos, he swaps his uniform for Ray-Bans and a black suit - and then finds that his life becomes even more weird and fantastic.

Most will know that the MIB travel the world, keeping an eye on visiting aliens and blasting them when they get out of hand. But keep your brain in gear because the MIB are up against an evil plan: an alien race is collecting human brains to turn the earth into a computer chip! Each of the locations is populated with aliens and robots aplenty to keep you busy but despite the dangers you won't fail to notice the quality of the graphics, whether you are in the frozen wastes of the Arctic or deep in the jungles of South America.

You will also notice that the game has a decidedly menacing atmosphere.

There are various missions and plenty of aliens to blast to bits. Luckily, you can put your fighting skills and shooting abilities to the test in the MIB HQ firing range.

And there are plenty of nasties to destroy, including Bugs, Coyames, Manitoas, Chubbies - they look quite cute - and Roswells.

MIB could well become a classic adventure game in its own right but only time will tell. But it is already receiving great reviews in the specialist press and I can well see why. JE

Getting to grips with The Glove

GAMES File likes to keep readers up to date with new developments and this week we take a look at The Glove.

Not, it's not the name of a new game. In fact, it's a new controller for the PlayStation that could well prove to be the beginning of the end of the 'traditional' joypad and transform the way in which we play games.

As its name suggests and as our pictures show, The Glove is just that. It's the PlayStation controller of the future which slips onto the arm with a couple of velcro straps, with various control buttons on the fingers, including all the regular action buttons for shooting and object manipulation.

It's a step along the road to virtual reality, thanks to 'wrist sensing technology' , allowing the player to move the on-screen character with a simple bend of the wrist. Lift your hand and the figure goes forward, lower your hand and the figure retreats etc.

It's fascinating to use and very strange. And it will take some time to get to grips with completely although the effort will, I think, be worth it.

The Glove - from Reality Quest - has a three-position slider switch: digital mode, which operates like a normal gamepad; analogue mode, which acts like a joystick; and simulated analogue mode which allows you to play analogue mode in a digital game for more precise control. The simulated analogue mode sets the glove apart from all other digital pad controllers because The Glove's on-board software can mimic analogue control, meaning it translates slight wrist movements into more subtle character movements.

In Doom or Hexen, for example, bending the wrist slightly will make the character walk forward, while bending it further will make him break into a sprint.

The Glove requires no special set-up or connectors, just plug it into the joypad slot and away you go. At £49.99 it's not particularly cheap but it is a big step forward, putting the PlayStation ahead of the opposition. Get The Glove and you're really putting your finger on the pulse of new technology. JE

Resident Evil 2

IT'S big, it's bad, it's bloody and it's brilliant.

And, not surprisingly, it's the 'big one' for the PlayStation that has had the video games industry in a tizz these past few weeks, Resident Evil 2.

This is surely the game that put the X in X-rated, the game that will keep you AWAKE AT NIGHT....but it is great fun.

You play one of two survivors in a fetid, terrifying land peopled by zombies and monsters and ghouls and all kinds of other unspeakable nasties that are, quite simply, brilliant. Leon is a cop and Claire is a young woman cool enough to cope as they try to track down and destroy the source which is bringing to life the zombies and their creepy buddies. Not surprisingly, the zombies and co are not too happy, so watch out.

It really is a nightmare world, but the game is a dream. True, there is nothing much new in the way of gameplay: find your way around, solve a few clues etc etc.

Where Resident Evil 2 excels is with the stunning graphics and the heavy, evil-feeling atmosphere.

Resident Evil looks the business.

You are armed with a pick and a gun and gather more and better weapons and ammunition as you go along and, believe me, you will need them with zombies around every corner, lurking in the shadows of every street, in every room.

But the sheer pleasure in blasting these puss-dripping, scabby scumbags is tremendous. Limbs are blown away, heads are blasted off...and they keep coming at you, oozing blood, guts and goodness knows what else.

In the entertainment world, only the mega-movie Titanic has made more money in America this year and it is also the biggest-ever selling game in game-crazy Japan.

It's definitely not for the young, squeamish or those of a nervous disposition and some parents will think it the creation of a sicko world. But then again, some people complain about the violence in Tom and Jerry cartoons, so who is to judge. Suffice to say, if you like great effects, stunning visuals and a scare around every corner, then Resident Evil 2 is the game for you. JE

A racing cert

IT must be said that there are some tired old games out there for the PlayStation and at times I wonder whether we have had the best.

Late last year we had Tomb Raider 2 and this month Resident Evil 2, two star performers in a short space of time. Top notch stuff, no complaints. But what's next? Is there anything worth your hard-earned cash?

Well, the answer is definitely YES and it's here now. Gran Turismo is a racing simulation game from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe but don't think of other racing games.

Compared to GT, they are strictly pedestrian. I thought Porsche Challenge was pretty hot, I don't now.

GT breaks all the barriers. The graphics, the detail, the precision and the cars are simply stunning, the realism is almost unreal and the camera angles can be sensational. Just watch the race replays to see what I mean.

Entertainment and gameplay wise, well, think in terms of months.

I don't want to go over the top completely, but this is a must-have with bags to offer racing fans. And boy, is it big!

In the Quick Arcade Mode you can choose from 40 actual sports cars - Honda Preludes, TVRs, Nissan Skylines - and you can select either single race, time trials or split-screen for two-player races.

In Gran Turismo mode players must win money to upgrade their cars and even buy new ones. I've set my sights on an Aston Martin DBE, or maybe a Chrysler Viper, but then again, I quite fancy the Chevrolet Corvette!

There are around 10 different championships and more than 11 different tracks and you must learn to fine tune your driving skills to master the very detailed handling attributes of the various cars. And it isn't just me who has been amazed at the quality of the game. One games magazine Edge, which gave nine out of 10 to both Tomb Raider 2 and Resident Evil 2, have gone all the way with a perfect 10 out of 10. JE

Jungle rumble...

IT'S a jungle out there! And it certainly is in Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle, a new release for the PlayStation from Activision.

Some veteran console fans may remember the original game for the Atari, well believe me it has certainly come a long way since then.

The game is up there amongst the best, with great colours and atmosphere as you battle your way through the scary, steamy environments.

You are Pitfall Harry who swings (literally) through the deep jungles of South America. Things are definitely hairy and like all good platform games you know things can only get worse (or rather better!). And they certainly do when Harry falls through a dimensional rift into a strange and dangerous world.

The ancient Moku civilisation has been slaughtered by an Evil Temptress and her next target is Earth. Cue Harry.

The game is fast paced and action-packed and kept two young lads at home quiet for hours.

As its title says, the game is full 3D and Harry has total freedom to roam alone, with all the creatures and environments fully modelled and textured. Voiced by actor Bruce Campbell, Harry can swing on vines (get from one to another and he'll do a Tarzan impersonation), jump over scorpions and get around pits.

And to help him get by he carries a rock pick to fight off more than a dozen deadly creatures, including demon bats that can grab Harry and carry him off to unknown locations, Earth Soldiers that materialise out of the ground and creatures made of flames and armour.

On his travels, Harry discovers four unique regions. You can explore the ruins of the Moku civilisation, climb the inside of a volcano, escape a prison colony and battle through an evil forest.

And just for good measure there are three intelligent bosses to sort out: a 40-foot gladiator, a creature made of molten lava and, finally, the Evil Temptress herself. You have been warned, JE

PS: The original Atari game is hidden inside Pitfall 3D.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.