The ever popular football sim becomes the first in the series to capture the coveted festive hot spot since FIFA Road to the World Cup ’98 in 1997. And whilst EA enjoys being king of the Christmas castle for a fourth consecutive year (and for the sixth time in ten years) it marks the end of Need for Speed’s run of festive number ones.

Need for Speed: Underground 2 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted won the Christmas battles in 2004 and 2005 respectively, but this year’s iteration of EA’s racer, Need for Speed: Carbon, has to settle for second place, though only by a very small sales margin.

Elsewhere in the top ten, THQ’s WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 climbs four places to secure third spot ahead of Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 6 in fourth. Activision’s Call of Duty 3 slips one place to fifth, whilst EA’s The Sims 2: Pets clings resolutely onto sixth.

Microsoft’s Gears of War enjoys a rise in sales that elevates it one place to seventh, whilst Midway’s penguin romp Happy Feet climbs into the top ten to claim eighth. The seemingly timeless Lego Star Wars II occupies ninth whilst THQ’s Cars rounds off the top ten in tenth.

With hardware supplies at a premium, the only exclusive Wii title in the Top 40 is Wii Play in 30th. Elsewhere in the charts, it was a good week for family-friendly titles with Eidos’ WWTBAM Party Edition climbing three spots to 21st, D3P’s Flushed Away debuting in 26th and Sony’s SingStar Popworld re-entering the charts in 33rd.

There were also Top 40 debuts for Sierra’s Eragon in 37th and Activsion’s Over the Hedge in 40th.