BRUT.me

If you don't know how to make Ronaldo dribble, he becomes as useless as Robert Rosario. The controls here are described with reference to the keyboard. Sorry, I use the keyboard, I think it suits me fine, and don't intend to get a fancy gamepad.

CONTROLS - on the keyboard there are eight (8) buttons you will use - A, S, D (primary controls), Q,W,E (secondary controls), CTRL and ALT (special, or in this case, SK). Oh and the direction arrows too.

A - think lob. Tap A and hold for a high pass. Double tap A to flick the ball up to yourself (also accomplished with CTRL/ALT-A). A also slide tackles the opposing player - use this carefully and you'll defend properly. Looping header.

S - the pass button. You will be using this most often. Tap S and use the directional arrows to measure your passes. By pressing S in quick succession before the ball reaches the feet of the target, you can one touch pass. This, utilised properly, can create chances easily. I never use the double-tap function. Gentle header. Also selects player nearest to ball, or cycles through players.

D - shoot, head, bicycle kick, volley, whatever. If you want this button to achieve maximum potential, turn off 'AI Assisted Headers', and you'll score more often. Depending on your position, and the position of the ball, you will knock the ball goalwards. Double tapping when the ball is at your feet will chip the ball. Nice. D also enables a normal tackle - not as effective as the slide, but less dangerous. Use the D-tackle at the right moment.

Q - passback function. Very useful if learned properly. Press Q and pass to someone nearby. Note the control circle remains with the passer, whom you can move. Press S again and the passer (hopefully) receives the ball back. I find one-touch passing more effective though. Practice this if you want to use it! Don't advise using this to tackle - it usually results in a red card.

W - sprint. Very useful. Don't just press and hold, tap furiously at it to move away from opposing defenders. Sprinting tires players.

E - hmmm. Double tapping it makes your player jump over a slide tackle, a move you'll see the computer perform. Single-tapping it is another hard tackle, and almost always gets you sent off.

CTRL / ALT - curler keys. Use at set plays when you see the arrow to curl the ball left (CTRL) or right (ALT). Use also when crossing the ball, to move it away from the keeper and onto your forwards' head/thigh/toe/body part.

Summary of basic moves:

A	Lob / Sliding tackle
S	Pass / Change Players
S (x2)	Through pass
D	Shot / simple tackle
D (x2)	Chipped shot
E	Avoid tackle
E (x2)	Fake foul (simulation)
W	Burst of speed (press constantly)
Q	Very hard tackle (dangerous!)
Q (x2)	Loose possession of the player

There are also, the special moves, ones which you MUST master in order to beat the game on World Class mode, and conquer your friends (and enemies) in multiplayer. Practise these constantly. Personally, I tend to use only the very first special move here. The others are more glamourous, but all serve their purpose well.

Summary of Special Moves: (where SK = CTRL/ALT)

SK (tap)	Fast dribble to the left or to the right
SK (hold)	The player moves very slow
SK + Q	Simple Dribble
SK + Q (x2)	Moves the ball to one side but goes to the other way
SK + W	Rotate Player 360 degrees over the ball
SK + E	Fake a Dribble putting the players foot on the ball
SK + E (x2)	Ronaldo style fake
SK + S	Dribbles to the left or to the right
SK + S (x2)	Pass with the wrong foot
	Fakes a shot and slowly turns 90 degrees
SK + D (hold)	Fakes a shot and slowly turns 90 degrees
SK + D (tap)	Fakes a shot and quickly turns 90 degrees
SK + D (x2)	Fakes a Dribble and continues straight
SK + D (direction in diagonal)	Automatic Running Dribble (Then press SK + D)

All can say is, you have to PRACTISE these moves in training. Don't try dribbling round Ronaldo in your own penalty box unless you're 100% certain, especially on World Class. Ronaldo's tackling is amazingly, 99.

BASICS - as I said, suggestions on how your team should perform in general.

* Hustle! Your first line of defence is your strikers. Once the opposing player gets the ball, go for him and block his way. Imagine all your players as Paul Ince / David Batty / Roy Keane. Especially significant in multiplayer games!

* Watch those yellow cards! Tackle carefully, and at the right moment, and you'll get fewer of them. Those who already have been booked should avoid slides. Try not to get your defence booked. Less than 10 men is suicide against a well-drilled set-piece. In general, if your midfielders both get booked, try subsituting them or moving them to the wing.

* Set the strategy bar to right in the middle, for safety. If your team is losing, push it forward, and when winning by the odd-goal, you may wish to push it to the left and defend.

* Turn off 'AI Assisted Headers', but leave 'Automatic Crossing' on. This way, you'll be able to get in more powerful direct headers on goal.

* Customisation tips: if you have a very expensive goalkeeper (like Schmeichel, Peruzzi), try trading him off at a profit for a less expensive, but equally good one, like Fiorentina's Toldo, or Parma's Buffon. Even David James is worth your money in this game. Defenders generally need to be fast, and Carlos is a bargain at around 6 million. Midfielders need to be generally good, like Zidane, or Brian Laudrup.You can afford average forwards, who can hit the target most of the time, as you are going to create chances.

* Have I mentioned that you must PRACTISE your set-pieces, special moves and such?

* One last thing: Play with the TOWER CAM. It's as close to real life as you get, the players aren't too small (like in FIFA97) and you can see a lot of the pitch.

DEFENSE - you don't have to have Paolo Maldini and Lilian Thuram at the back, though it helps. Application of sound defensive strategies should enable you victories.

* Don't slide in! If your defender is the last man, don't slide in yet, and don't press Q or E! Follow him, force him wide, hopefully outside of the penalty box, and then tackle him. However, if he gets past you, you may want to slide him, especially if it's a human player.

* If the defence has the ball, and you're crowded out, passing the ball out of defence using S is risky. Better just give it the big boot (D).

* Overlapping wing-backs like Roberto Carlos benefit from good midfield play. Try using passback to set them up for their crosses.

* From free kicks around in the opponent's half, and near the center circle, the computer (and many human opponents) loft the ball towards the edge of your penalty box, resulting in a spectacular, but somewhat unbelievable header over your keeper, who has insanely come to the edge of the area. There's little you can do against this when playing the computer, but for humans, watch the movement of the forwards as they try to find space to receive the lob, and cover them with your defenders.

* The first thing you should do when the ball is flighted in is to press D and the arrow key away from your goal. If that doesn't work, start hammering on D (this does reflect the panic that ensues in these melees!) Applies for both corners and free kicks.

* One more thing regarding goalkeepers. Try not to throw the ball out to a player, unless you are absolutely certain he can get the ball away. Prefer the big boot, which is pretty accurate anyway.

* For penalties: you can move the goalie on the line (in accordance to the latest FIFA ruling). If you move him to the left, the computer generally shoots to the right, as might some humans. I don't do this though. Just press and hold A / S / D and the left or right arrow and hope for the best.

MIDFIELD - in my opinion, the most important area of the game, and my favourite area. All midfielders have the responsibility to defend AND attack.

* I've mentioned this before. HUSTLE for the ball, but don't go overboard.

* I'm sure that all of you admire the Brazilian midfield. Hence, bear in mind Brian Clough's words: God made grass to be used for playing football (paraphrased). Try to keep the ball on the ground when you can. High passes may be inaccurate.

* Don't play like Liverpool, though they are my favourite team. Don't pass, pass and pass even more. This isn't real life and you aren't playing Man Utd always. Take chances and try dribbling, try through balls, etc. You may be handsomely rewarded.

* Sometimes, lobbing in a cross isn't the best alternative. You may simply run into the box and cut the ball back for an advancing forward.

* Dictate the tempo of the game. Play slowly if you wish, but always keep a lookout for open spaces and overlapping wingers. Aim your pass in that direction and chances are, it'll be a very good one into space.

* One cheap way to set up an attack. Play 4-4-2 (my preferred formation). When your keeper makes a save, launch the ball forward. Mostly, your central midfielder will receive the ball with his back to your opponent's goal. Your winger will be in space. Quickly do a reverse pass to him. You may now attempt to cross or dribble your way to goal.

[b]ATTACK[/b] - a little tip here. You don't need a Ronaldo or a Batistuta to score goals. Just make sure you give your forwards easy chances which they can't miss. I mentioned that previously.

* He who dares, wins! Don't be afraid to dribble past defenders, especially if you have practiced your special moves. Don't always pass the ball back to someone else.

* Similarly, don't be like David Beckham and let loose from way out. It rarely goes in. Do so only if you have no other option.

* Experiment with the arrow keys and discover for yourself the various shots possible (low, medium, high, left, right, etc).

* If you find yourself stuck on the wing, don't always cross. Here's what to do. Run diagonally towards the keeper. The angle may be narrow. Assuming you're coming in from the top right hand corner of the pitch. Most people who shoot tend to hit a left foot shot right into the keeper. The trick is to cut back and curl the shot around the keeper into the far corner. It works most of the time, even from the tightest angles.

* More wingplay tips: curl the ball using CTRL / ALT, and immediately press D and the forward arrow (assuming you have AI Assisted Headers off). You'll put in a powerful header which should go in.

* When one on one, you must score. You can dribble round the keeper (dangerous), or simply shoot (almost always in). You can also try flicking the ball up with CTRL-A and then pressing D. I've got an brilliant Inzaghi bicycle kick done that way. Practise beating the keeper in training.

* Penalties: no excuse to miss. Do not shoot straight at the keeper. Aim for either the low, or medium corners. Knocking it high is fine, but sometimes it hits the bar.

* Corners: With V1.30, goalkeepers love to come and punch the ball clear. Sometimes, it drops kindly for your forwards who then have an empty goal. But to maximise the possibility of scoring from these set pieces: 1) Play the short corner, then cross. 2) If you prefer it direct, press CTRL or ALT to bend the ball outwards slightly (NOT inwards), press D (NOT A) to execute, and D again for a header, which tends to go in. Again, practise.

* Free kicks: Imitate the computer! But please, don't use this throughout the game. Be more chivalrous and play football, not simply take free kicks. Still, if you want quick goals. Press E a few times and move your star striker into space on the edge of the penalty box, ensuring he is not offside, then press A to lob the ball towards him. Press D for the spectacular, but unrealistic diving header.