EA Sports Football Academy gives football fans the chance to prove their knowledge on and off the pitch. Your knowledge will enable you to build a dream team by excelling in the Academy's tests about real-life players, teams and football skills. As you succeed in the classroom, you build up a football IQ, and the higher it goes, the more help you get in creating a better team of players from the biggest leagues in Europe, including England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

At the outset, ... more >>

EA Sports Football Academy gives football fans the chance to prove their knowledge on and off the pitch. Your knowledge will enable you to build a dream team by excelling in the Academy's tests about real-life players, teams and football skills. As you succeed in the classroom, you build up a football IQ, and the higher it goes, the more help you get in creating a better team of players from the biggest leagues in Europe, including England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

At the outset, you will be invited to choose a club from a selection of European leagues. Take a tip from us and choose a team from your own country: you will get into the swing of things if, say, as an Englishman, you choose an English team, unless your knowledge of the Bundeslige or Primera Liga is deep. The majority of the subject questions will be in your chosen club's language, so make sure you speak the lingo! Once you get your first sticker pack of players, you can go play a game of football if you like, but the academy is all about preparation and training. The better you perform at the academy, the better your team will perform.

The game itself comes on like a mixture of Panini stickers, Roy of the Rovers comic book action, honest to goodness old fashioned football video game, a garden variety football manager title, and a soccer-themed quiz and puzzle hybrid. It's certainly a mixed bag - three games in one, if you like - but it's put together nicely and works really well. Football Academy will not persuade non-footy fans to part with their cash, but lovers of the beautiful game will be delighted with what's on offer here. << less