Sporting Action

Split over two discs, the 4th Dimension present Sporting Action on the Arc. A heavily rhythmic version of Chariots of Fire fades to reveal a well-designed main menu from which all game options are controlled.

Up to eight players can take part in one stadium session, and you can choose to compete in all the events or in a personal favourite. You cannot select a specific order of events.

Fortunately, the practice option compensates. Removing the conventional Gold, Silver, Bronze medal-winning paraphernalia, this allows an armchair athlete to concentrate on familiarisation with his chosen sport.

Plunging for the "Compete in all events" option, takes you to the pool and the Diving event. The miserably enforced regime of Z, X key abuse is re-lived here, as each player takes a go at the four dive types.

After each attempt a set of scores flash up to reflect the international judges' impressions which are controlled by your skill in executing the forward, backward, reverse or inwards plummet and the difficulty you choose. Despite the smooth scrolling, I wasn't at all excited.

Welcoming the mouse back, you go Shooting - the clay pigeon variety. Having established your preferred sight speed, you choose to take 30 targets randomly or in a pre-determined order. The latter enables you to memorise directions.

Enjoyable as splitting flying white blobs is, the gun holder flickers and it's even possible to achieve the ultimate goal of killing two birds with one shot, as on-screen collision detection is pretty generous.

The Javelin event is my favourite - the athlete sprinting motion is good and the game demands good judgement rather than key-punching. By carefully releasing and angling the javelin with the mouse, you can reach quite respectable distances.

Should you manage a throw nearing the world record length, authenticated "crowd-reaction" screams out of the Arc's speak ers, which lends a nice touch of atmosphere.

Back to the pool starting blocks and more key abuse where you have to tap out the beat for the swimmer to stroke to. Keep him breathing by regular stabs at the Return key.

However, to plough speedily through the water means developing a regular rhythm, as prompted by a flashing panel.

The instructions warn that a lot of practice may be required to maintain a good speed. This is an understatement.

Staying in the water you are now trasported to a foaming river, complete with canoe. Course types are: Short, featuring 5 gates, Intermediate with 10, and Professional at 15.

Underwater current behaviour can be shifted between none and random.

Desperately trying to remember the gate types - colour coded according to how they should be negotiated - progress is slow. The coaxing of the canoe is with repeated use of the ' and / keys, but beyond the irritating "blips" used to signal collisions, stimulation is thin on the ground.

Finally, Pole Vaulting runs along similar lines to the Javelin event. After you have chosen the bar height, the brave sprite jogs up to the daunting gantry.

On command of the mouse, it lowers the pole and rises skyward.

All of the player's involvement takes place in these few split seconds, and it becomes an increasing challenge to gently flop over the ever-rising height.

On the occasions that sound is employed, it is used well. A good example is the convincing giug echoed upon failure to breath in the swimming event.

The game's backgrounds often have a fuzzy appearance.

However, they suffice, and animation is usually smooth and well articulated.

Overall though, attempts to spice this software's appeal with player nationality quirks and a ceremony sequence are over shadowed by a meekly-coded Archimedes game design.

Matthew Ridd