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Football, the most popular sport in Britain. A game of skill and agility, as well as an exercise in strategy and planning. This intellectual side of football is often practised by the likes of Vinnie Jones and Paul 'Gazza' Gascoine. What we're interested in though, is the hot action of the sport itself and that's what Formation Soccer is all about. It's three dimensional simulation and so breaks the mould a little. Most footie games are viewed from above, but this one puts you right on the field.

The game is a vastly tweaked conversion of the PC Engine original and takes full advantage of the Fammy's hardware. There are two distinct styles of play, one a tournament with you playing the computer and the other is a head-to-head contest with you up against a friend.

The play follows the example of other games in the genre, with you controlling the player nearest the ball. The controls are simple, you can only pass or shoot. So, get your football pants on and it's off down the park for a spot of Famicom footie!

Serious gamers will no doubt remember the original PC Engine version of this game. It was programmed by Human, a smart Japanese software house. This is still the best footie title on the PC Engine.

The Famicom conversion retains all the same options but the graphics and sound are vastly enhanced. At first sight, this doesn't look anything like the first game, but the gameplay is very similar.

The most impressive feature of Formation Soccer, is the brilliant formation selection option. This allows you to choose a definite play strategy before the game even starts. You have a wide range of team formations, so you can play a forward game, a defensive game, or even line your players up on the wings.

Players take it in turns to choose formation, so the one who picks first will instantly give away his strategy to player two. Ha, player two can then adjust his formation to kick ass all over the pitch!

When Famicom owners first heard that a version of Kick Off 2 was planned for their machine, they must have filled their pants with fright. Thing is, Pro Soccer is a pile of pants. When this game is plugged in, it gives off the rancid stench of festering turds. It really is a travesty of a game and they ruined a potentially brilliant soccer sim. Fortunately, Formation Soccer is here to save the day.

I like it! Apart from the sad travesty that was Pro Soccer, this is the only real footie sim available on the Famicom. It uses the 3D chip to perform some jaw-dropping effects and you can run in and out of the screen at will.

The gameplay has a couple of minor faults, but these don't really detract from the overall effect. To all intents and purposes, this is a straightforward footie game, you use all the same rules and it plays like most other games in the genre. The music is great and some of the sound effects are a bit special.

In one player mode, this is a good laugh and the computer teams are challenging enough to keep you occupied for ages. Where it really comes into its own though, is in two-player mode. Against a mate, this is a real laugh.

The inclusion of after touch means you can curl the ball in any direction to fool the otherwise infallible goalie. A cracking little game and the only real choice for Fammy football fans!