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Now that the World Cup is in full swing, we've seen all manner of human drama. France teeters on the verge of elimination after losing to Senegal, Ireland stood tall against the Germans in a valiant tie, the United States laid the boots to Portugal, and once again Canada is nowhere to be found. Still, the love for Earth's most popular sport is palpable, and like clockwork, EA Sports has pushed another World Cup tie-in game out the door. The question is: does FIFA World Cup 2002 offer enough of a change from EA's very recently released FIFA 2002 to warrant purchase, or is it just a cash grab with a different intro video? Read on, footy fans.

If you're at all familiar with EA's previous FIFA games on PS2, you know what to expect here. The graphics are amazing - with lifelike animation, smooth interpolation and varied motions, FIFA is the real deal when it comes to soccer's presentation. The faces of players are varied, with facial expressions that change depending on the situation. Score, and the beaming smiles will fill your screen. Give up a goal, and watch your teammates hang their heads in shame at their failure to defend their country's honour. The stadiums are accurate and nicely detailed, with lively animated crowds vociferously supporting their chosen teams as they run up and down the pitch. Weather effects are believable, sunlight cast appropriate shadows - EA has done its homework on the graphic end.

The real meat on the bones of FIFA WC 2002 is the gameplay, however. The November release of FIFA 2002 saw a radical change for the better in how passing is structured in the EA game, and it has been carried over to FIFA WC 2002. The controls are extremely fluid - if you want to put the ball somewhere and your player has the skill, that's where it will go. Put a spin on your passes, send long crosses over the box, play the give and go - all these and more are available for use and more importantly, are effective and necessary in order to win at the higher levels. For those who are beginners, EA has kindly included an assist option to ensure that cross-throughs and other passes stay on target. This friendly addition does a lot to keep the game fun and accessible for everyone, while still rewarding those who choose to play at a higher skill level, just as it should be. The PS2's AI is smart, forcing you to choose your plan of attack wisely. If the AI starts pressing and you don't make the appropriate changes in your formation to address the situation, more often than not you'll be picking the ball out of the back of your net and shaking your head at the scoreboard. Refereeing is strict but fair, and like previous FIFAs, you can adjust the officiating to your liking. Desire an all-out foulfest? Turn the reffing down to the minimum and shatter ankles to your heart's content.

Anything else new from the last version? Well, EA has included round-robin tournament mode with some additions - as the playoffs move to the final match, there's a progressive storyline to go with the gameplay. Not exactly WWE backstage drama, but interesting nonetheless.

So, let's get down to brass tacks. Is FIFA World Cup 2002 sufficient in new additions to warrant purchase when FIFA 2002 is available? Honestly, no. You get a few new animations, replay camera angles and some new stadiums, but there's really nothing here that you couldn't recreate easily with the 7 month old FIFA 2002. It's hard to justify this as a purchase unless you absolutely must have a game specifically for "the official World Cup insignia, trophy, mascots, banners and flags, on display in the 20 officially sanctioned stadiums". Frankly, I'd save the extra 20 bucks and pick up FIFA 2002 on the cheap. Still, if you don't own a FIFA game on PS2 yet, you certainly can't go wrong purchasing FIFA World Cup 2002. Whether or not the differences warrant the additional money is up to you.