Football game Fifa 09 has knocked Call of Duty: World at War off the top of the video game chart to become the best-selling computer game this Christmas.
Call of Duty, which had occupied the number one slot for the last five weeks, slipped into second place following a late surge in sales of Fifa 09. The football game was third in the charts last week, behind Call of Duty and Mario Kart Wii.
The success of Fifa 09, which is made by Electronic Arts, will come as a boost for the games company, which has been forced close several development studios and shed staff in the wake of the global financial crisis.
Call of Duty had been tipped to take the top slot in the Christmas charts, but it is believed Fifa 09"s universal appeal helped boost sales in the busy shopping week before Christmas, when many games are bought as gifts.
Mental agility game Dr Kawashima"s Brain Training, which was first launched in 2006, is fifth in the Christmas sales chart. The game"s enduring popularity, particularly with older players, is a good example of the growing universal appeal of computer games across all ages and genders.
This week"s top 10 bestselling games:
1. (3) FIFA 09 (Electronic Arts)
2. (1) Call Of Duty: World At War (Activision Blizzard)
3. (2) Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
4. (4) Need For Speed: Undercover (Electronic Arts)
5. (5) Dr Kawashima"s Brain Training (Nintendo)
6. (7) Wii Play (Nintendo)
7. (13) Quantum Of Solace (Activision Blizzard)
8. (New entry) Professor Layton And The Curious Village (Nintendo)
9. (10) Tomb Raider: Underworld (Eidos)
10. (8) Wii Fit (Nintendo)
Source: Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association