Which mobile football game should you buy this Christmas?

Football crazy, we're football mad. We haven't got enough space on our phones, for all the mobile football games we've had.

Okay, so that doesn't scan particularly well. The point is, for all the criticism that mobile handsets aren't ideally suited to all-action football games, that hasn't stopped publishers queuing up to release soccer titles.

On the playing side, mobile is currently experiencing the traditional FIFA vs Pro Evolution Soccer battle, except spiced up by the addition of Real Football into the mix.

The Big Three will dominate many operator portals leading up to Christmas, yet they're joined by some serious management simulations, and a host of other footy games. So which are worth your cash? Read on for our guide.

THE BIG THREE
We reviewed Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (pictured) this week, and it confounded our expectations that it couldn't possibly translate Konami's ace console sim to mobile. If you're a doubting Pro Evo fan, you'll find much to love, from the slick passing and crossing through to the way long shots have a slightly better chance of success.

However, we'd put it neck-and-neck with Gameloft's Real Football 2008, which slightly edges PES on presentational grounds, with a few more flicks and tricks. The fact that it's been evolving for years on mobile shines through in its quality, too. Gameloft has also clearly been working on making the game as intuitive as possible, even with its plethora of buttons. Both games scored 'Gold' (9/10) in our reviews.

FIFA 08 scored Silver (8/10), so it's the runt of the litter, right? Well, no. Partly because '8' is still a darn fine score, but also because EA Mobile's game takes a deliberately different tack to the other two, focusing more towards casual gamers who just want to sling a few passes together and have fun. We're not entirely convinced by its isometric viewpoint, but there's absolutely no shame in the way the game targets a more massmarket audience.

MANAGEMENT SIMS
What about the management side of things? Some of us are born to strategise rather than slog it out on the pitch, after all. We're still huge fans of Championship Manager 2007 (pictured), which came out earlier this year and offered bags of depth, and a user interface that didn't leave you confused. Although it's still available, it's probably worth hanging on for Championship Manager 2008, which is due out this side of Christmas.

The main competition right now is Gameloft's Real Football: Manager Edition, which we haven't reviewed yet, but aims to combine Champ Man-style depth with Real Football's match engine, to provide a more graphical representation of games.

It follows the idea laid down by LMA Manager 2007, which offered a similar combination of off-pitch management and on-pitch highlights. Another newie that we haven't reviewed yet is Ojom's Manager Pro Football 2008, which takes a similar approach – although realistically, it's unlikely to squeeze onto the UK operator portals ahead of Champ Man and Real Football: Manager Edition.

OTHER CONTENDERS
Of course, it's not just about the Big Three when it comes to action-based football games. Bear in mind that some of the games mentioned below won't be on your operator portal, though, so you may need to hunt around on mobile games sites, or the publishers' own sites.

Cristiano Ronaldo Underworld Football is one of the quirkier takes on the beautiful game, throwing in all manner of zombies and other undead creatures to try and trip the Winking Winger up. However, the game itself sadly doesn't match up to its impressively bonkers concept.

Far better are two titles that take different spins on football. Football Manager Quiz (pictured) sees you taking a team through a Premier League season by answering trivia questions – the better you do, the more goals you score.

Meanwhile, EA's UEFA Champions League came out earlier this year with a neat card system for key moves, providing a more cerebral experience.

Both are well worth picking up, especially if your operator just happens to be selling them at a bargain price.

Dynamite Pro Football is more meat 'n' potatoes stuff, offering playable football action that won't trouble the big boys. We're actually more impressed by Ultimate Street Football, which pitches you into urban soccer with an emphasis on tricks as much as goals.

And much as we love watching Brazilian maestro Ronaldinho play, sadly we're not big fans of his Ronaldinho Total Control game, which is a too-simple game of keepy-uppy. Ball juggling is also one of the mini-games in the much better Football Party, amongst numerous other football-related micro-challenges. If you ever wondered what WarioWare would be like if it was just about football, well, here's your answer.

THE CONCLUSION
So, we promised to tell you which games you should buy. Obviously, you'll want one of the Big Three, or even two. If you're a footballing ninja, it's a case of Pro Evo or Real Football, while if you're more casual, FIFA is definitely the one to go for.

Management-wise, we'd have to say Championship Manager 2008 if it matches up to its predecessor, but Real Football: Manager Edition may push it close.

Meanwhile, take your pick from the other contenders: if you shop around and get 'em cheap, we'd heartily recommend Football Manager Quiz and Football Party to add a bit of variety. Not a firm shopping list, granted, but this should at least point you in the right direction. Enjoy.