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This is a Canadian piece of software which strongly resembles Commodore's International Soccer.

The pitch is about three screens long and the computer scrolls across the pitch like a TV camera panning the scene following the action.

As with the Commodore cartridge, you are allowed to dribble the ball up and down the pitch but five-a-side is a much more physical game and you may find your player flat on his rear end after a hard tackle goes in. Occasionally a foul is called and the ball is respotted in the centre circle and sometimes rough play can lead to a fight.

Yes indeed, these little dynamos have tempers that flare up occasionally and, after a quick punching bout, the invisible referee awards penalties. This is perhaps the weakest feature of the game and yet the graphics look quite superb.

It is difficult to judge the speed of the ball because the display shows a view from behind the penalty spot looking towards the goal. The ball sprite is also a problem because it is overlaid against the goalkeeper and never actually appears to go into the net. Even after a goal has been awarded the goalkeeper can be moved behind the ball, so occasionally you may think a save has been made because the ball seems to be in front of the keeper.

In the selection menu at the start of the game you can opt for a one or two player game or a one or two player penalty competition. The soccer game can also be played at one of three levels against the computer. In my brief acquaintance with the game I found the simple level to be enough of a challenge and the computer has beaten me every time.

The football game is not free of confusion, sometimes the ball appears to jump to the feet of the computer player or is it just trying to make excuses for bad ball play?

Add to the game the synthesised singing of the crowd and a sprinkling of voice synthesis and I think Anirog have another winner on their hands, though for me Commodore still have the edge.