PES 2012 is the latest version of the popular soccer game for Windows and consoles. The game makes some significant improvements over PES 2011, boasting better gameplay and graphics than the previous version.

PES 2012 has everything to prove. The series is currently languishing behind EA's FIFA, and has a lot of ground to make up to have any hopes of winning this year's battle of the soccer sims.

PES 2012 has already added a wealth of new AI elements to ensure that its on-field action truly reflects that of football at the highest level. The Active AI system ensures that players track attackers more effectively, but without compromising the shape of the team, while one-on-one situations offer greater control as defenders press and jostle to win the ball, as attackers can use upper body feints and movements to bypass and wrong-foot their man.

Series Producer Shingo 'Seabass' Takatsuka and his Tokyo-based team have also confirmed a secondary batch of welcome additions, many of which have been added following consultation with PES and football fans from all over the world. Penalties in PES 2012, for instance, have been completely reworked and now use a camera from behind the taker, with players determining the position, power and placement of each kick. Shooting has also been enhanced, with the various attributes of each player taken into account with the timing, pace of the ball and position of the striker's body to the ball coming into effect to produce less wild, ballooned efforts. Shot feints also return, with player moving so the goalie commits to the save, whilst the player can reposition for a clearer effort.

Alongside these additions to shooting, movement and reaction everywhere else is also been greatly enhanced. Valuable time has been shaved from player reactions, and overall improvements to the animation via flow-block motions and changes to the player hit-point elements have lead to a three-frame improvement in response times, meaning players are quicker to chase down balls, amend and tailor their run, or take on a defender. The speed with which players turn has also been streamlined, making quick movements more fluid and natural. Vitally, control is no longer totally lost when losing possession of the ball, with players recovering quickly when stumbling to reclaim the ball, or close the ground when tracking back.

All skills can also now be refined in the return of the much loved 'Challenge Training' mode. A hugely popular part of PES lore - Challenge Training - gives the player a series of tough tests which they can use to hone various skills. The mode allows users to work hard on their attacking and defending skills to improve their main game. Similarly, there are dribbling tests and set-piece challenges that necessitate hitting a series of targets, and punishing shooting tasks are used for push the player as they put in the hours that will make all the difference on field.

The aesthetic style of PES 2012 has also been refined further, with the overall movement of the players now more fluid than ever, with animations segueing into each other effortlessly and incredible attention to detail. Such is the level of graphical finesses that you can see players sweating, their neck muscles tensing as they call for the ball and bark orders to each other, and the muscles in their mouths and around their eyes contort to show the emotions the players are experiencing. This is further enhanced via dynamic lighting in the game which creates shadow and reflects from their eyes in true real-time. In keeping with the game's exclusive use of the UEFA Champions LeagueTM and UEFA Europa League TM licenses, referees governing such matches will also wear the official UEFA Champions LeagueTM uniforms.