Codemasters have finally decided to go for full price games with their new Gold label. This first full pricer is a quartet of football games. Three are standard games of soccer in the Matchday II style, while the fourth is a "Decathlon waggling-type" game.

The four games load separately and from one to four players can take part in each. All the soccer games have basically the same layout: a goal at the top and bottom of the screen and a four way scrolling pitch which moves with the ball. A number appears over the head of the player nearest to the ball. Soccer Skills is the fourth game and the playing area varies according to which bit of training you're doing.

11-A-Side Soccer is first on the list and here you have two full teams of players with the usual rules for corners, throw-ins, penalties, fouls, goalkicks and offside. There are three difficulty levels to play at: easy, medium and hard. On easy the computer is a walkover; medium is reasonable; and the hard opponent is challenging. The match duration can vary from 5 to 90 minutes, but it's more enjoyable to play over short matches.

Indoor Soccer uses the normal rules for indoor five a side, with no corners or throw-ins, the ball just bouncing off the walls. Street Soccer is basically football without the rules, fouls go unpenalised and the pitch is more irregular with cars and buildings to get in the way.

If there are more than one players then you can have one of four combinations: player vs player, two players vs computer, two players vs one player and two vs two. The extra options add to the fun in the same way that a similar option in Matchday II did. There's also an option on the main menu for auto or manual. This allows either the computer to choose the player that's under computer control or you can select him manually by moving a pointer over him.

Soccer Skills, the fourth game in the pack, has eight different events for you to practice your ball and physical skills in. They're ball control, goalkeeping, penalty taking, sprint training, press-ups, weight lifting, sit-ups and bar lifts. Ball control has you weaving in and out of a set of cones, goalkeeping lets you practice penalty saving and penalty taking speaks for itself.

Sprint training is a standard waggle game where you have to run up the pitch and back again in the shortest possible time. Press-ups, weight lifting, bar lifts and sit-ups are self explanatory.

As with all Codemasters' games, the graphics are slightly above average, but nothing spectacular. Sound effects fall into the same category. There's a good tune on the title menu screen for each of the games. Matchday II is the only game to compare it with and there are some major differences. The first is in the playing area: Matchday II has goals at the left and right, while this has them at the top and bottom. Matchday II also has a tougher computer opponent - but perhaps a bit too tough (I agree - Ed). There are plenty of options on the menu, but Matchday II has a much better selection. Unfortunately there are no trophies to play for and no league championships to fight over here, which does detract from the game a lot. You can play against other human players, of course, but Matchday II is a much better solo game and, since they both cost the same, it's all down to which of the two styles you prefer. Both games are very good, but Matchday II definitely has the edge, Brian.

So Code Masters have grown up and moved into the full price market: how do they do?

Well, pretty much as before, in fact. Four 'simulators' (yeah yeah) - none of which I found quite as instantly addictive as Matchday II. On the other hand, the three football games are each respectable efforts (Soccer Skills I found no more interesting than Daley Thompson or any of the other pointless 'press up simulators').

1989 should provide some firm pointers to how the Darlings will fare in the long term: it'll certainly be interesting to watch."

Fine

Beat computer on medium level

Graphics 67%
Smooth scrolling
Few colours

Sonics 58%
Good in game effects

Grab Factor 86%
Very good version of a football game, with all of the rules.
Four games for the price of one full price...

Staying Power 77%
Three of the games are very similar.
Three difficulty levels.

Overall 72%
A good start to the Gold range, but it would have been better rated at £5 than at £10.