Need for Speed on top... again

Official ELSPA Top 20 Software Chart (all prices) - week ending 31 January

1 (1)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC)
2 (5)
(PC)
3 (2)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, PSone, GBA)
4 (3)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC)
5 (4)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, GBA)
6 (RE)
(PS2, PC)
7 (9)
(PS2)
8 (7)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, GBA)
9 (6)
(PS2, Xbox)
10 (8)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube)
11 (12)
(PC)
12 (13)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, GBA)
13 (15)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube)
14 (RE)
(PS2, PC)
15 (10)
(PS2, Xbox, PC)
16 (11)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC)
17 (NE)
(PS2)
18 (18)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, GBA)
19 (14)
(PS2, Xbox, Gamecube)
20 (17)
(PS2, Xbox, PC)

It's week number six in pole position for Need for Speed Underground but can it remain ahead of the rising star that is Norton Internet Security 2004? It's been a bit of a week for virus attacks via email and, presumably, this has helped Norton's popular antivirus software to gain the highest chart position ever achieved in the All Software charts by a non-game title. Of course, if we were in a period of quality releases it's unlikely that Norton would have made the history books.

Still, there is the re-entry of Take 2's Mafia, in at number six thanks to the release of the PS2 version. The only other notable leap is from Rockstar's billion dollar baby Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which now takes pride of place in the PS2 platinum range. In the charts for its 53rd week, it rises eight places to re-enter the top 20 at 14. It's becoming the Tubular Bells of game industry.

The only new entry is Sony's Eye Toy: Grove, which manages to scrape into the top of the charts (at 17) in its second week of release. That said, it's not bad business for the games giant, seeing as the original Eye Toy: Play remains in the top 10 as good as eight months after it first hit the streets. Not bad for a peripheral, eh?

The rest of the charts is as inspiring as grass growing on wet paint. Roll on Easter... please.