There's no sport like soccer for mud in your cleats, grit in your teeth, and the down-and-dirty thrill of competition. But, on those days between real games, Humongous Entertainment's Backyard Soccer MLS Edition will satisfy your soccer cravings with a virtual game that nails soccer's nuances while adding some fantasy twists that should score big with both players and fans. Players pick their team from a roster of 45: thirty are neighborhood kids, ranging from Kenny Kawaguchi in his wheelchair (who's like greased lightning on wheels, mind you) to bespectacled Lisa Crockett, a ball-control whiz. One of the fantasy twists is that kids can also appoint pint-sized versions of Major League Soccer players and U.S. Women's National Team members to their own team. So Brandi Chastain and Carlos Valderrama mix it up with the Backyard gang and whoever is running the mouse.
Each player comes with a complete list of soccer skills and quirks that affect his or her performance on the field. Some have hot tempers, some have asthma, and some can't stand to play with their little sister on the same team. All of this information is initially confusing, but it gives the game depth and realism as players get to know each kid and learn how to put together a great team.
In addition to picking a team, players also choose a team name (all 12 Major League Soccer team names and logos are there for the picking, while nonconformists can name their own), playing surface, one of three levels of game difficulty, and duration. A head-to-head capability lets friends play friends. There are simple Friendly Match games that don't get saved by the computer, and there's Season Play with statistics, strategy, and playoffs that send victors home with the Astonishingly Shiny Cup-of-All-Cups Cup.
During play, a mouse, keyboard, or game pad controls the action, and players use every member of their team. Power-ups add a dimension not seen in real soccer play; kick an undergrounder or a homing ball and you'll never look at that beat-up black-and-white ball in your garage the same way again. Stylistically, the folks at Humongous have it dialed in as well. All 45 players have distinct personalities, the play-by-play is both informative and funny, and there's even instant replay to watch that heinous foul close up, in slow motion.
Although a soccer neophyte can play this game, its vast array of choices, strategies, and rules is bound to be confusing at first. But that same complexity is what gives this virtual soccer game legs, complete with shin guards. Backyard Soccer truly shines in the hands of a kid who's on a soccer team (and what kid isn't nowadays?), stuck inside with a computer instead of outside with buddies and a ball. (Ages 5 to 10) --Anne Erickson
