One of the biggest surprises was that people seemed happy with the game, but we did establish key improvements that people wanted to see.' As a result of this, they've gone one step further this year, with a 'testbed' version of the software featuring wireframe players on a black background to assess the game engine. 'I was concerned at the reviews,' says Neil Thewarapperuma, 'so I instigated the biggest research programme EA have ever carried out, with focus groups in London, Manchester, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

(Mind you, that review was in The Watchtower.) Despite the bad reviews however, it sold by the metric tonne as usual, although a lengthy re-evaluation process did follow. Depending on which magazine you read, it was either a marginally improved game from the year before, or a pus-ridden, rotting testicle ripped whole from the semen-stained shorts of Satan. FIFA 97 faced something of a backlash with people laying into it all over the shop.