Much better than Lara, excellent licence of the Ashes, but still some gameplay and graphical shortcomings.
The game plays much like its predecessor, though Codemasters have done a good job of making it a bit more difficult, and have, thank God, got rid of that irritating glitch where the wicket keeper whips off the bails even when your batsman has been in his ground for 5 minutes after a run.
My one major complaint about the game is that teams all too often run themselves out. It seems the easiest way to dismiss batsmen, in that they invariably just take stupid ones and twos at regular intervals, and scupper a realistic feel to a Test match, by allowing themselves to be bowled out in the space of a session.
This said, there are still plenty of landmarks to reach, competitions to win and shots to master, which extend the longevity of the game beyond merely playing one Ashes series.
Overall, this is the best cricket game out there, a must for any die-hard fan, and the only way to ensure England secure a 5-0 series whitewash this summer!