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This game dashed straight into both the Electron and BBC charts as soon as it was released. Once again a television spin off, made even more attractive by the sporting associations, hit the jackpot.

The unfortunate thing about both versions of this group of games is that the graphics and sound do not really compete with the standards being set elsewhere. At the same time there is no denying the clever way in which a number of games have been squeezed into the memory and the excellence of the original idea.

Making sport appear realistic on the BBC or Electron is asking too much. A racing car cockpit is about the best you can hope for. Football Manager does a credible job with the playing side of the game and ski slopes are not too difficult. Swimming, canoeing, running, gym exercises, shooting and so on do not really lend themselves to the micro screen.

The format chosen for the competition at these sports is simple. Brian Jacks goes first and does very well. The player follows and tries to match or beat his performance. Since the sports are physical, the player has to actually carry out physical work with the keyboard or joystick to complete the course. There is also some skill element in judging the shooting, or keeping the canoe on course or steering the football around the posts.

So, the sports are well thought out, the player's goals defined, but where's the fun? The action on screen is not up to reflecting the enthusiasm of the player to take on the sport. Each race against the clock is very much like the last one and interest soon wanes.

The graphics throughout the game are dull and slow. There is some use of sound and an interesting use of speech (Acorn speech upgrade) for starting the races, counting the sit-ups and reporting the scores.

Dave Reeder