Previous Next

Crikey, Melchester Rovers are REALLY in trouble this time. The whole team (except Roy of course!) has been kidnapped and now greedy property developers want to buy up the Rovers' sacred ground - no doubt to build another hypermarket!

Only one person can save the club - you guessed it, Roy of the Rovers (blow the bugles, bang the drums, shake your rattles?!). Doing a fair impression of a private eye Roy dons his mac and sets off in search of his missing team mates (they probably buggered off down the pub!).

The search for the team forms the main arcade adventure section of the game, but there is also a five-a-side footy game (which can be played on its own). In the arcade adventure four menus are used to control Roy's actions, which include chatting to other characters and fighting. He can also pick up and manipulate objects to aid him in his dangerous quest. These include a pair of sunglasses to make him look so-o-o-o cool (just like the pizza man himself!?!).

Unfortunately neither of the two sections is much cop. The main adventure has some easy-to- use menus, but there's a lack of any real interaction between characters. Graphics are colourful, but also very blocky, something which also mars the football game itself, where wobbly sprites jitter around a dull pitch. In addition the controls are unresponsive. Completely lacking any of the 'big match' atmosphere of the famous comic strip - this is another disappointing licence-based game.

PHIL ... 53%

Joysticks: Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: colourful enough, but blocky all the same
Sound: not a lot to get worked up about
Options: play the full game or just the match itself

'I've quite never managed to fall asleep while playing a computer game, well not until I played Roy Of The Rovers that is. It's just so boring. The main game is set in a town that you have to explore. Unfortunately getting lost is incredibly easy since all the streets look the same and the graphics are so crude it's almost painful to see. If I didn't know better I would have thought that the main characters had been blown up from something smaller, thus giving the terrible blocky look' As for the football game, well the graphics are just as bad and combined with boring gameplay it's one of the worst I've ever played. Where's the red card Ed?'

'Poor old Roy, he has to find his team mates before 7 pm or it's curtains for Melchester Rovers. Well, cynic that I am, I can't say this exactly has me in a cold sweat. Despite all Phil's efforts, football still bores me silly and the football game in this makes me wonder why anyone would ever want to watch the Melchester Rovers. It's more boring than watching it on the TV! The adventure section is a little better, but not much - in my opinion even hardened soccer fanatics could be put off the sport by playing this. One for the fans, then? Mmm... I doubt'