Excuse time is over. We now have two powerful current-gen consoles in the Playstation3 and Xbox 360 with enough time in the market under their respective belts. A perfect opportunity for the makers of Pro Evolution Soccer, Konami to showcase a bold new engine, right?

Not so. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 remains the playability choice when matched up against rival FIFA, but it's a case of the "once agains". So while once again PES2008 is our pick for best footy title of the year, by no means is it a must buy. Once again, PES2008 can't compete in terms of authentic licensed team/player/competition detail. Once again, PES2008 doesn't look like it's pushing the visual capacity of your machine. In short, its good - experienced gamers expect as much - but nowhere near as great as its predecessors in terms of impact.

It's not as if Konami didn't get given a free pass of sorts after its so-so beginning on Xbox 360 a year ago. The PS2 version of the same game had more features, and while the game's look was okay, it wasn't putting chills down anybody's spine.

With another year's coding time under its belt, Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 should be a lot better than it is. And maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but assuming you've got a decent controller hooked up, the PC version is superior to the Xbox 360 version. Apart from a faster time to load the pitch when you start a game, there's also how fluid the game runs. The Xbox 360 is smooth whilst you're playing, but when a replay kicks in the action stutters and slows down for some inexplicable reason. What possible reason there could be for this eludes me, as to reiterate: the PC version is smooth as silk, and just as detailed.

In previous years we've had fun with the David vs Goliath metaphor when it came to Pro Evolution vs FIFA - but both Konami and EA Sports (makers of the FIFA series) are making enough cash from these titles that drastic improvement should be the watchword, every year. The play experience you get from PES2008, tweaked as it is, scarcely justifies laying down a hundred bucks for if you have any of the last three years' offerings at hand.

Little progress has been made towards authenticity. In fact, it arguably takes a backward step this year. For some ghastly reason Konami has sold its soul so you're bombarded with pitch hoardings and butt ugly in-game ads for IGN, MySpace, and other members of the Empire. The last time I looked these things don't appear in real stadia. You'd have thought if Konami were going to take the Murdoch loot they could at least spend it on more naming rights to real players, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Setting aside the probable argument that Konami are doing quite well out of the PES franchise, thank you, if picking up a quick buck from Rupert was at least used as a way to funding innovation in the game, it might have been better received. However PES 2008 not only fails to deliver substantive change, it once again returns with annoying legacy aspects of the game that until now we've forgiven in the name of the overall picture. What were cute idiosyncrasies three years ago are becoming increasingly annoying testaments to the inability or unwillingness to improve the core game.

Cmon, this is videogames we're talking about, an artform that readily lends itself to constant refinement. With this in mind, why for the sake of all that is holy do we continue to suffer the cruelty that is Pro Evolution stoppage time? In case you haven't sampled this delight - several years in the maturing - it goes like this. Regulation time ends. A number flashes up telling how many minutes of stoppage time will be played, usually one to four minutes. Woe betide you if the CPU opposition has possession in this circumstance, because the game ain't stopping until either (a) you seize the ball, (b) the CPU kicks the ball out of play (thus turning it over to you), or (c) the computer scores against you.

Needless to say, if you've grafted away all game to preserve your one goal lead, or have harboured hopes of stealing the ball and streaking in for a miracle equaliser/matchwinner, when (c) happens it's a recipe for gamer rage. Symptoms may include hurling the controller, speaking in tongues, or self harming. Why? Because it's patently unfair. Playing at the more unforgiving difficulty levels especially makes this infuriating, as your frantic attempts to make one of your players touch the ball (all you seemingly need is a millisecond of possession to end stoppage ad infinitum) can often result in your conceding a penalty, which Murphy's Law then dictates the computer will smash in, and you going postal.

The mysteriously flexible approach to stoppage time is the chief holdover complaint from past versions, but by no means the only. Veterans of the Pro Evo series will nod knowingly at the occasional unintelligent passing that takes place. Hold the controller in the direction of your streaking winger and press pass and watch for the odd occasion the ball is booted instead to your centre midfielder - the one being covered by a defender. Nice recipe for a turnover, this.

Then there is throughball interruptus - your players can sometime get so excited at the prospect of you putting them through a gap that they will stop and dither on the spot rather than letting the ball do the work and roll along them as they move towards the goal. This works out great for the defender you hoped to wrongfoot, who then proceeds to mug Mr Ditherer with all the subtlety of a jetlagged LA Galaxy backfielder.

Rounding out the whinge list is the occasional professional foul. You've turned around play in midfield, your centre is in good position ahead and you're ready to tear down the flank and take advantage of the out of position defence when suddenly WHAM you're knocked over by the one defender in shoving distance. Oh you get the free kick alright - as well as all the opposition back in position. It wouldn't be so annoying except it's so cheap. Sure it happens in real life too, but the game is a lot more forgiving - usually the defender won't even be carded! Try doing that in a game vs your mates and it's a yellow most of the time, and a red if the man in black is feeling grumpy.

While we're on the subject of the ref, yes it adds to the realism factor having him running around the pitch, but he has a disturbing habit of getting in the way. Not something you'll care about unless you're desperate for a goal, running out for time and your promising break is brought undone by your precise pass ricocheting off his sloth-like body. Less annoying but still noticeable is the ongoing Nazi-like interpretation of the offside rule - if you're out by one pixel its as good as being out by half a pitch, no matter how far away the pass has come from. We'll call that one harsh-but-fair because the CPU opponent also cops it to the same degree.

What new developments there are in the game are both scant and of mixed value. A new timeline display for Master League (the career mode) means your weekly progress is displayed after every game by a progession bar of sorts. Great except you can't skip it, so you've got to endure it crawling to your next fixture, scrolling open a box telling you what's going on, and then being allowed to interact. This is not an improvement on the quick-but-dirty methods of yesteryear, especially when all you want to do is rattle through to the next game. It looks pretty drab too.

In team setup options, the once quick and easy automatic sort option for players has been changed to something less obvious, which is ultimately forgivable because if you're willing to trawl through the options layout there's an arguably superior setup - in theory. The computer can control your tactical decisions and player substitutions - even electing to sub players by condition or ability, depending on what you specify. This version of Pro Evo really punishes fatigued players - they're much more prone to bumbling and making errors. Leave the game in charge of making your subs and often you'll watch as your seemingly fresh star players get sent off while your tired workhorse types remain out on the pitch. The lesson here: harden up and do your own substitutions if you wish to maximise the scoring potential of your team.

The much vaunted "teamvision" AI system is pretty much like any introduction of this kind in Pro Evolution (or FIFA). Its impact is pretty subtle. It seems to have less effect on the attacking end than defence, where matters do take an unmistakable lift. Players now endeavour to guard the ball properly, and will fight for possession. Positioning is crucial here - you're going to encounter a lot of times where players just can't react quickly enough, unless their key statistics are suitably stacked.

The outcome of the new approach is midfield play becomes a little more engaging - however as in past games it's still a little too easy to push the ball out into the final third of the pitch. What we'd really like to see is the need for more lateral play - constant working of the ball around centre field in an effort to create a defensive imbalance. What you'll normally encounter is a couple of quick passes then one of your key players being given the ball to take into the enemy scoring zone.

The long passing game has also been refined. You can't merrily blaze away Hollywood passes from your own penalty area into the other half, but enough ones get through to keep a smart opponent reasonably honest. You won't do it constantly, yet pulling it off on occasions where the chips are down are immensely satisfying...assuming you can then get past the keeper.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 frustrates because it's greatness is not a freak thing. It's a familiar thing now. While in recent years we have seen EA at least trying to whip FIFA into shape, Konami seems to happily tinker with the formula without investing some real dosh into either (a) grabbing massive amounts of licensed names or (b) overhauling the game engine in any meaningful way. Instead this year they whacked a bunch of sponsor logos into the thing, upped the defensive capabilities and messed with the Master League interface.

Yes, you should buy this if you don't have a recent Pro Evolution game. If you do opt to pick up PES 2008, the game is best on PC, while the Xbox 360 version still doesn't do a good enough job of utilising the power on offer. Once again.