Pros: The best FIFA game ever made, and still great today
Cons: It's 1998, and some may not like that
The bottom line: FIFA 98 was and still is the best of the FIFA series. So next time when you see the latest FIFA game, resist the urge to buy it...
The year was 1998 and I had just recieved a Playstation for my Christmas. I went out and bought FIFA 98, the latest incarnation of the footy franchise, and quite willingly handed over the £40. I had never been so happy at buying something because I had played the game round at my cousin's house before Christmas and it was love at first sight. I played it non-stop for 12 months before getting FIFA 99. Sure - the new game was good too, but it wasn't the same.

I swapped FIFA 98 - it was one of the biggest gaming mistakes in history. Yes, bigger than the E.T. fiasco in the 1980s. Bust A Move 2 was good too, and I had a lot of fun with the puzzle game, but I knew I had made a massive error of judgement. Stupidly, I bought FIFA 2000 and then lost all faith in the series. EA Sports were just re-hashing the same game over and over, and I wasn't buying it any longer.

Last week, I bought FIFA 98 back, pre-owned, for £3, the bargain of the century.

Sometimes it's difficult to fully illustrate to love for something, but I'll do my best for your benefit. I know that the majority of folks who'll read this will be from America. Hi guys! Anyway, I'm from Scotland and in bonny Scotland football is taken very seriously. That's why FIFA 98 was such a great companion for me and my friends. It had all the latest players, all the strips, all the national teams, loads of club teams and leagues.

When I first played it, it was a gorgeous game, with brilliant graphics, sound and options. It's a little dated now, I'll admit, but I'm still astonished at how fresh the game still is.

Presentation is one of the FIFA series's biggest strengths. The intro sequence is wonderful with Blur playing in the background. The menu is simple, but brilliant, straight up and down with clearly labelled buttons. In game sound is provided by a variety of artists, and it is still the best in-game music I have ever heard. The commentary is superb was I was gob-smacked when I heard it again. Nowadays, the commentary is full of cliches and irrelevant chatter. FIFA 98's commentary, provided by John Motson, Andy Gray and Desmond Lynam, is excellent and to-the-point. The only fault in it is that in the lower leagues, i.e. The Scottish, hardly any players' names are announced. But still, as I said, for sheer realism the sound is unrivalled.

The game's graphics are still good, if a little rough. The stadiums are beautiful and it isn't just a case of having one or two variations of stadium. There are 16 stadiums to choose from, and each one is equally detailed and rich in colour. The crowds are a sort of mushy blob, and guess what? They still are today.

The players by today's standards are faceless and there is little telling who is who when you are playing. The Scottish game in particular, I feel, was neglected in that some players even had the wrong skin colour. All the strips are in sans sponsors.

The range of teams available is eye-boggling. 172 nations and 189 club teams grace the game, and you'll never play them all, although you will try out the worst, and probably the best. The main aim was to beat Brazil with the Faroe Islands...on World Class difficulty and I did it.

Which brings us to the gameplay. There are three gameplay settings: Amateur, Professional and World Class. ANYONE can play Amateur. It really couldn't be simpler. Those who are familiar with football will want to move on to Professional. Only the best can play World Class and succeed. With 12 months of practise, I final did it.

The player and team edit feature is very good, and I have fond memories of updating every team in Scotland and not being in the slightest tired by the end of the chore, or so it would seem nowadays. You can put your own players in, change their faces and shirts and change their stats. Revolutionary, really.

FIFA 98 was and still is the best of the FIFA series. So next time when you see the latest FIFA game, resist the urge to buy it and buy this or FIFA 99 for a tenth of the price. You won't regret it.

Now I'm off to have a good cry...