Soccer can be about the glamour and pageantry of the World Cup, an international stage where lowly Senegal can gracefully defeat the defending champions from France in an inspiring upset.

Or it can be about punching an opponent in the back, kicking his teammate in the knee, dribbling the ball downfield, flipping it over your head and bicycle-kicking it past the goalie.

Hey, whatever you prefer.

For traditionalists, EA Sports' 2002 FIFA World Cup ($49, all ages) for the Xbox will make you feel like you're skipping across the grass of the real stadiums in Japan and South Korea.

Each national team is stocked with real-world players and takes the field in a laser light show and burst of fireworks. The captains shake hands politely.

Once the ball is in play, the action is fluid and engrossing.

You can switch players easily, lob or pass the ball, sprint downfield and score. The slide-tackles look like the real thing, and the players will crumble every bit as melodramatically as they do in real life.

The announcers are hilarious, especially when you slide into the goalie after he's caught the ball, earning you an automatic red card and ejection. In clipped British accents, the commentators will deplore your "disgusting" play and concur that you deserve to be kicked out.

I nailed the goalie three times in a row just to listen to the indignant announcers.

If you like your game a little rougher, Midway's RedCard 2003 ($49, all ages) for the Sony PlayStation 2 will satisfy your inner soccer thug.

The game is set by default to provide almost no referee intervention and your arsenal of kicks and punches is impressive. You can even pull off a low leg sweep, karate-style, that will leave opposing players rolling on the field for a good 15 seconds, clutching their knees and ankles, while the announcers observe that soccer isn't for wimps.

Of course, you can expect the same in return, and the trick is to execute jumps and spins to avoid the attacks.

Passing is also an art form in RedCard. If you time everything just right, you can bicycle-kick the ball from one player to the next all the way down the field to the opposing goal. When you power up for your shot, the game kicks into a Matrix-style zoom and slow motion as you let loose with a fiery blast that scorches the back of the net.

As you defeat opponents, the game will unleash more unconventional teams and fields, such as the team of dolphins playing in an underwater stadium - complete with see-through roof - off the coast of Australia. They even make dolphin noises.

Of course, punching three squealing dolphins and then scoring on them probably won't earn you any points with Greenpeace. But I loved RedCard.