UK Charts: EA's World Cup wins the lead

EA has stormed back into the top of the charts this week with next-gen sales of FIFA World Cup Germany 2006, Miss Croft stepping down to enjoy the footie after three weeks at the top.

As anticipation for the World Cup increases, managerial wannabes are setting their sights on virtual victory, driving Sega's Football Manager 2006 up four places from seven to three in the all formats chart.

DS owners are still taking care of their furry friends, as Animal Crossing: Wild World maintains a healthy chart position, dropping just one place into fourth, while Vivendi's slightly soggy Ice Age 2: The Meltdown drips down from second to fifth this week.

Crime is still paying dividends for EA, with The Godfather slipping just one place into sixth, followed closely by a strong debut for NCsoft's latest MMO expansion, Guild Wars Factions, in at number seven.

At the lower end of the top ten, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion enjoys a small boost this week, up two places from ten to eight, FIFA Street 2 concedes five places to nestle in at nine, and Relentless Software live up to their name as Buzz: The Big Quiz refuses to leave the top ten, clinging on in tenth place.

Three new entries this week make it into the top forty, but only just. Rogue Trooper marches in at thirty-eight for Eidos, followed by two new DS titles, Tetris DS and Trauma Center: Under the Knife to complete the lower ranks of the all-formats chart run.

It's going to be slim pickings on new releases this week, as the industry awaits a slew of new announcements and next-gen titles to be shown at the E3 expo. That said, Nintendo ought to do well with DS title Metroid Prime: Hunters, and Ubisoft are hoping to recreate the phenomenal console success of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, as the game hits stores on PC at the end of the week.