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International Soccer is one of the bestselling games for the C64.

Curiously, it was written by a football hater called Andrew Spencer. He also dislikes Basketball; this is his version.

Obviously there are some marked similarities between this and International Soccer which include the superbly animated players. Naturally instead of kicking and heading the ball they pick it up, run with it, pass, catch and hopefully throw it into the net.

Three are three such players on each side with only one per side under direct control via the joysticks. This is usually the last one that touched the ball but moving this player off the section of the court that is currently shown on the screen will pass control to another. The screen display scrolls with the player who is currently in possession who is also the slowest moving player on the court. Consequently if you want to retain possession you will have to pass the ball to one of your other players who will be vying for position with your opponents.

You can play against another human or against a variety of computer levels which range from the easy level 1 to the impossible level 9. You can also choose the colour of the players' shirts and even select from three different variations of Basketball. These are International (Olympic), NBA and NCAA. Each variation has its own rules, court layout and number and length of periods. The game's detail is completed by an applauding crowd who sit behind advertising boards carrying adverts for Commodore, Compunet and someone called Johnny who is apparently "for Funk".

At the end of each game the players line up and the winning captain is presented with a cup.

I doubt that this will enjoy the success of International Soccer but those who buy it will certainly enjoy it.