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The best-selling Amiga footy game finally arrived on the C64 back in Issue 56 and was duly panned by the reviewers. Why? Was it too slow? Did it lack a few things from the original? No, it was just a completely different game! I mean, even the pitch scrolled left-to-right instead of up-and-down!

Phil was horrified about what had happened to his fave footy game: "...it's a completely different game and an inferior one at that. The change to a horizontal pitch wouldn't have mattered if the gameplay hadn't been spoilt by the inability to pass properly. This omission reduces play to blasting the ball up the field and running after it."

On the technical side, Robin found it equally poor: "...sound effects are weak, while the graphics suffer from ropey animation and the glaring presence of a sprite flicker."

The game's saving grace is its large array of options, including all those from the Amiga version. There are international league and cup competitions in which any of the eight teams can be player-controlled (and league position saved), options to practise skills or penalties, change match length, play a single match against friend/computer, choose each team's skill level (from five), and select from four team formations at the start of matches and at half time.

But what good is this when the matches are so dull? Most of the action consists of one player dribbling all the way across the pitch while slowish computer-controlled defenders give futile chase. Only when he gets to the penalty area do you get control of a defender in front of him.

Then, if you manage to tackle him, the most successful tactic is to dribble up the other end of the pitch again! Passing isn't a good idea as there's no radar scanner to see where your teammates are.

This simple gameplay is passable for a few matches but the lack of more varied, skilful play soon has you kicking it off the computer.