The gaming press hasn't had too many nice things to say about 989 Sports over the past few years. Most of the company's releases have been mediocre at best. One exception was last year's surprising World Tour Soccer 2002. It was a solid soccer title that proved that EA Sports' FIFA series wasn't the only option for footie fans. Some key improvements show up in World Tour Soccer 2003, but the competition has also kicked it up. FIFA 2003 is a dynamo and Konami has finally released its killer Winning Eleven 6 for gamers on this side of the world. Can 989 Sports escape a sophomore jinx and continue to play on the same pitch as the big boys?

Like its hockey brother, Face-Off 2003, WTS2003 can't quite decide if it wants to be an arcade contest or a true sim. Ball control definitely leans towards the arcade side. Players seem to be equipped with Velcro cleats. The physics of the ball handling and dribbling sometimes border on the otherworldly. Even when sprinting, players easily maintain control of the ball. And the shooting and scoring might have you thinking that you're inadvertently playing 989's hockey title. A lot of goals come on one-timers or on shots that are taken from almost impossible angles. Goals like these may seem believable when they're done on the ice, but when they're pulled off by guys slogging around on a soggy turf, you have to raise an eyebrow.

While your players might think the game plays like an arcade title, the guys on the other team don't. The AI can be downright nasty in WTS2003. I realize that soccer is by nature a low scoring deal, but the defenses you're pitted against -- even at the easiest gameplay settings -- are keen on keeping your score at nil. Getting stripped for hanging on to the ball too long will quickly remind you that this isn't the NBA. Soccer isn't a series of one-on-one confrontations. It's a true team sport and success is predicated on getting plenty of teammates involved. Sadly, due to the camera, that's not always so easy to do.

The lack of camera angles will leave you wanting. You've got a choice between a side view and a less-than-wonderful overhead view. Usually, I'm a fan of the overhead view, as it's usually done from an end zone perspective, but here the angle is so high that it's tough to get a true sense of where you are on the pitch. Within these two options, you get your choice of near, medium, or far views. Sadly, none of the six viewing options really do justice to the action on the field.

Once you get used to the camera, you'll find that a lot of your success in WTS2003 can be traced back to your experience with various dance and music titles. The key to the game is passing and constant ball movement. Given your limited field of vision due to the game's camera angles, you're forced to rely on onscreen arrows that show the location of your teammates. Following the onscreen cues and perfectly timing several passes by hitting the X button and the proper directional will let you weave through the defense and setup good scoring opportunities. Who'd have thought that all that time spent playing Frequency would help me defeat a gutsy squad from Germany?