Football. It's the world's game. No, not the game played with a pigskin -- the real football, otherwise known as soccer. Konami's been producing videogames based on this most popular sport in the world for three console generations, and they've often been the very best. The PlayStation Portable edition of 2008 was a pretty solid entry in the series, featuring the tried-and-true gameplay that's fueled the PlayStation 2 game for years. It wasn't all that portable-friendly, but did the trick if you just had to have PES and the Master League on the go.

Some excellent shielding of the ball.

Fast forward eight months and Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 has a phenomenal new Become A Legend mode -- even on the portable platform. This entertaining package has some limitations, but is now an even better way to play videogame soccer away from home. It's even got much of the same catchy soundtrack found in the big brother console versions of the game.

Become A Legend is as revolutionary for PES as pointer controls were in the Wii version of PES 2008. It's a move to keep up with the Joneses (Electronic Arts has Be A Pro in FIFA), but definitely welcome in this series. Rather than manage a team, you manage a career -- your own! You create a player from scratch, and have the ability to modify your face, as well as your run, dribble, shooting and free kick animations. Eventually, it really does look like you out there on the pitch. The PSP game looks superb even when compared to its high-definition cousins.

Rooney playing hard near the box.

Player setup is just the start of things, though. After playing in a single game, you receive offers from soccer clubs in your preferred division and begin the arduous task of just making the bench. A notable change from the home console versions is a fixed camera in Become A Legend mode on the PSP. You always have the camera just over your shoulder in a pretty natural position to provide decent field sense. The d-pad is probably the best option for portable control, but neither it nor the analog nub are very comfortable over long stretches of soccer gameplay.

You begin your career as a 17-year-old prospect, so you have every chance to grow and improve until retirement in your 30s. With each game, your stats increase based on how you want your player to evolve. The PSP game goes about player statistics differently from the other versions by having you choose specific attributes of your game to pump up, along with three different positions you'd prefer to play, right at player creation,. The choices you make become evident in your player's on-field abilities as the games roll by, and it's amazing how accurately the on-field simulation plays out. I've played or coached soccer for most of my life, and all the things I'm doing on the field in the game work exactly as I'd expect them to in a team situation. That's not to say I'm a world-class player -- far from it -- but if you understand how soccer is played at the professional level, you'll be able to excel as a single player in the Become A Legend mode.

Did he just beat four defenders?!

The PSP game does not appear to have the UEFA Champions League license, since there is no ability to play out the League championship. (The U.S. National Team also isn't among the licensed squads, so forget about having them available in national play.) It's unclear why this version has a different license, but in lieu of that, the interesting World Tour mode is available. This is a cool mode that turns games into "missions" in which you have to win by two goals, or perform various other feats, to move on. Master League is there too, so if you don't want to Become A Legend, you can go back to that time-tested club management mode. While the lack of UEFA Champions League is a bummer, it doesn't really hold back the portable game as Become A Legend is by far the best new feature in 2009.

It's not all diving headers for the victory, though. The biggest issue is a lack of feedback in Become A Legend mode. Part of the reason you become so excited about making the starting lineup is that you aren't sure where you stand with the coaches until you're in there. There's no obvious information telling you how to improve. As in every PES game, digging through the menus unearths player ratings after a match, but there needs to be more. Also, the menu system is clunky, tired and desperately in need of a full overhaul, though the PSP game is actually somewhat more responsive than the home console games.

I think that ball?s a little out of reach.

Network and online play is available. If you're fortunate enough to have a friend who owns the game, you can go Ad Hoc; otherwise, you can supposedly use Infrastructure mode to connect wirelessly to matching servers online. I had no luck with this feature of the game while attempting to connect through both my wireless router and my PlayStation 3 console in Remote Play mode (which would have been a nice option if it worked).

The biggest disappointment in every version of the game is that the graphics haven't really improved. When it comes to looks, this is the same game you played earlier this year. Still, it's almost comforting to slip back into the look of PES every time a new game comes out. Become A Legend mode gives makes this portable version the best yet, and easily makes it worth upgrading so soon after PES 2008. Unless you're already a FIFA and Electronic Arts fan, you really can't go wrong with Pro Evolution Soccer 2009.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game purchased by the reviewer.