THIS week, Eamon Dunphy called Jose Mourinho a prat, Johnny Giles agreed, and everyone on RTE decided that Barcelona v Chelsea was an affront to the game. That's about it as far as the TV week goes. Well, maybe it's not, but I have a confession to make. I didn't watch much television this week. Y'see, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 came out.

For some of you, most probably those drawn to this article by the picture of a virtual Adriano, no further explanation is necessary. You have, like me, been marvelling at Louis Saha's ability to turn and shoot, Lionel Messi's astonishing dribbling skills and the long-range efforts of the virtual gentleman pictured to the right.

For those who don't know, Pro Evo is a game playable on Playstation, Xbox and PC. The best game. Ever.

You may have seen the recent ad for Fifa Soccer 07, in which an unhingedlooking young(ish) man marches up to a stadium, knocks everyone out of his way until he gets to the side of the pitch, jumps the hoardings, marches to the centre circle, ignores the quizzical looks of a nearby Wayne Rooney and Ronaldinho, and starts some super slo-mo screaming. All the while, a voiceover talks about getting things right, events occurring as they should have occurred, that 'this is the season'.

The ad should have been enough to scare the bejaysus out of anybody who still holds the view that computer games are for kids, something now comparable with suggesting that The Simpsons is just a cartoon. It has a menacing air, drawing on dark influences such as Taxi Driver and The Machinist. The main protagonist's age profile is ambiguous, he could be anywhere between 21 and 40, now the key demographic for game companies.

It's an impressive promo, but the game it's advertising is less so. Fifa Soccer 07 has all the official licences and strips, but for actual gameplay, Pro Evo remains streets ahead. You probably haven't seen the TV ad for Pro Evo.

Through word-of-mouth and brand loyalty, everyone knew it was coming, so with minimal advertising it sells a comparable amount to its more hyped rival.

It also has permission to use the vast majority of players, so there's no more Rud von Mistelroums or Michael Balotzs. This is thanks to actual players being fans of the game. Chelsea's John Terry appears on the front cover and organises tournaments during England away trips. Some fans are closer to home. Kerry's Gooch Cooper organised tournaments for his teammates on the way to this year's All Ireland to keep them away from temptation.

For those wondering if the game is worth buying if you already have the excellent Pro Evo 5, the answer is an emphatic yes. The passing is smoother and not as frantic, with less pressure to release the ball before tackles come flying in. Silly free-kicks have been reduced, and there's quicker restarts.

Scoring has become slightly more difficult, with composure in front of goal even more vital unless you want to see your shot ballooned horribly skywards.

Best of all though, is the genuine realism. With keepers liable to flap at crosses (yes you Victor Valdes) and deflections able to change the course of a game, you can expect the unexpected in a way that was unimaginable back in the days when soccer games used to let you score with a bicycle kick from the centre circle. Goals have to be crafted, not just bombed in with a special kick using the right combination of buttons.

And a novice can take on an experienced player and hold out for a 0-0 with some heroic defending if their opponent just has one of those days.

But be warned, persistent playing of I don't know, say, Barcelona's substitute keepers. Also, one can be more confident in the assertion that one could have done better oneself when Andriy Shevchenko spoons another one over from the edge of the six-yard box. One may even have evidence to prove it, should one be so tragically inclined.

Virtual players won't replace flesh and blood ones anytime soon, still depending as they do on replicating what happens on actual pitches. But with saturation point reached on the amount of real soccer available to us, many are starting to prefer some actual control over what they watch.

Some guy has posted up some of the best Pro Evo goals on video sharing website YouTube. They've been viewed almost 20,000 times. This column might require a name change from On the Air to On the Game sooner rather than later, and not just because of mounting gambling debts.

Not revolution, just evolution.