PS2 (also Xbox, PC); £24.99; Codemasters; www.codemasters.co.uk

By George Wright

MAKING A welcome comeback to the games arena is Sensible Soccer, a slice of soccer magic from the days of 16-bit console classics.

It’s time for messrs Beckham, Totti, Ronaldo and Figo to perfect their looks in the mirror and step aside for a Codemasters squad packed with its own bigheads raring to get stuck into some fun-fuelled footy.

It’s often been said that the success of the original lay in its simplicity — its pick-up-and-playability combining really well with super-slick passing, movement and end-to-end action.

Well, Sensi fans, don’t you fret, not much has changed on that front.

One major difference is, obviously, the updated graphics. Sure, the game still doesn’t match up to detail displayed in other titles such as the Fifa and Pro-Evo series, but it doesn’t claim to.

Licence link-ups and look-alike players are benched from Sensi’s line-up in favour of revamped-but-retro cell-shaded players with the classic enlarged heads.

Developers have focused on pitching gamers into an action-packed and humorous whirl around the football field with over 350 International and European teams in the line-up and 5500 players at your beck and call.

And, with all the player and team names easily edited, real-world stars can soon be signed up for your side if you so desire.

When you take into consideration some of the camera vantage points that TV gantries give us now in modern, multi-tier stadia, it seems sensible again that Codemasters have stuck with its original spy-in-the-sky view of the pitch.

It still works well after all these years, providing a bird’s eye angle on your formation and 360-degree control that makes it easy to pick out a pass or two that would go unnoticed in other games.

Just like on a well-watered pitch, play fairly zips along, with precision passes and other moves easy to master via smooth and slick controls.

The action’s fast and furious with sliding tackles, mazy dribbles, lofted passes, volleys and pin-point corners all accessible at the touch of a button or two. The aftertouch feature also works well when you want to add a bit of swerve or banana-bend to your free-kicks.

With 50 various preset competitions to choose from, instant friendlies and DIY tournaments galore, there’s lots for 1-4 players to have a ball with, including two-player co-operative teams.

Custom Team mode also completes a tidy package by allowing you to create your own sides selecting everything from the colour of eyebrows to type of boots.

VERDICT: Scores pass marks for a good job of mixing old guile with new style.

PS2 (also on Xbox, GC, GBA, DS and PC); Activision; £29.99;

www.activision.co.uk

By Richard Bell

BASED on the animated feature film of the same name that opens in cinemas next week, Over The Hedge takes players on an interactive 3D adventure following the plot of the movie and going a fair bit beyond too.

When RJ racoon (voiced by Bruce Willis) is nabbed pilfering Vincent the bear’s (Nick Nolte) pile of post-hibernation junk food goodies, he narrowly avoids becoming a high-protein treat himself by promising to replace everything within a week.

Meanwhile, a host of other forest-dwellers have woken to find that suburbia is now invading their habitat.

Animal leader Verve the turtle (Gary Shandling) does some recon and encounters such ghastly horrors as lawn sprinklers, BBQ utensils, SUVs and mountain bikes and, when he makes it home, vows he will never go “over the hedge” again.

But, with his hide on the line, RJ has other ideas and soon has a small army of raw recruits to help him with his mission.

Assuming the roles of RJ, Verne, Hammy the squirrel (Steve Carell) and Stella the skunk (Wanda Sykes), players turn the hazardous hallmarks of suburbia into their own personal playground.

In over 30 mission-filled levels, players interact with all the characters from the film, as well as all-new characters that exist in the game only.

Always played at quite a lick, the action takes place in many new locations not seen in the film, including the Exterminator’s Lab, The Sewers, and the Wild West Theme Park.

Depending on what’s happening, players can switch between two of the four main characters and bid to master their unique abilities.

As good as the single-player mode is, the game becomes a real hoot when played with a pal and the two of you barge through closed windows, fenced-in yards and laser-guarded homes to free captured friends and grab some tasty morsels.

VERDICT: A fine platformer for all the family that looks great and plays very well.

Actiontec; £55; www.vosky.com

By Derek Uchman

AS we’ve mentioned in this column before, 2006 is the year in which VoIP — making telephone calls over the Internet — is expected to take off.

A huge number of gadget-makers are clambering aboard the bandwagon by developing phones which plug into your PC. Most have failed to take off, because they require the user to sit in front of their computer — not the place most folk like to make calls from.

With the Vosky Call Center, Actiontec have developed a box which allows you to use your existing phone.

It has three sockets — one to connect to your PC, one to your landline, and one (of course) to your phone.

The genius of this system is that you can easily choose between making an Internet or standard call.

Furthermore, the Call Center is so clever it allows you to dial in using your mobile, so you can, for example, phone the US or Australia using your mobile for a fraction of the cost or even free.

However, there is a downside — even if it is minor. To make an Internet call, you must have your PC up-and-running. Even more importantly, the Call Center uses leading Internet telephony software Skype, so this must be correctly configured. OK, so it’s not particularly tricky to do, but firing up your PC every time you want to phone Aunty Sheila, can be a bit of a bind.

VERDICT: A very smart little black box which makes Internet calls a practical reality.