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What have Paul "Gazza" Gascoigne, James "Jimmy Greavsie" Greaves and George "Aagh, hic, yer me besht mate" Best got in common? That's right, they're all a bit portly. But there's also another hidden connection - they're all ex-masters of that great national institution, football - before old age, too many cakes and over-active tear glands brought an end to their success, that is. But now, even these fellows can relive their glory days with the long-awaited Megadrive conversion of Super Kick Off.

For those of you ignorant of this game, it's a hugely successful vertically-scrolling overhead view soccer game, mixing fast-paced arcade action with realistic simulation elements. Kick Off has been converted to pretty much every major format, including the Master System and Game Gear, and now Megadrive owners have the chance to practice their keepy-uppy skills without freezing to death in the park in the middle of Winter while some warmly-dressed PE teacher in a heated tent rants on about how it's not cold out and you're just being a big girl's blouse.

Tremendously long-awaited conversion of the most famous-est football game ever.

Use your joypad skills to move your team around the scren and score goals.

The thing which mode Kick Off so very popular in the first place was the addition of an aftertouch feature which allowed players to perform fairly realistic curling shots. As you would probably expect, this feature has been reproduced in its entirety in the Megadrive version of the game.

Pulling off these shots is simply a matter of kicking the ball using the A or B buttons and quickly turning the joypad in the direction of curve required. This is particularly handy for beating defensive walls and is by far the easiest.

Although both the A and B buttons are used to kick the ball, there is actually quite some difference in their functions. The A button is your ornery hoof-the-ball button, sending the spheroid flying up the pitch no questions asked. The B button does things a little differently. Hold down the B button for anything longer than a slight tap and the player holding the ball stops dead and traps it.

This now allows you to turn the player around and head off in a completely different direction without faffing about and having to chase the ball around in a wide circle.

However, no matter which button you choose for booting, your statutory aftertouch rights are not affected.

Members of the Computer Football Tournament Fanclub are no doubt cock-a-hoop about the wealth of tournaments available in Super Kick Off. There are four tourneys in all - two national and two international.

First off is the much-loved league pitting good old Tommy teams against one another. Then there's the FA Cup; a knockout tournament featuring the cream of English footballing talent. Moving into more cosmopolitan circles there are two European tournaments as well; a Euro league of sorts and the renowned European Cup, pitching top European teams against one another in a grim battle to the death.

If tournaments aren't really your scene, man, take heart, for Super Kick Off offers two other modes of one-off play. First division teams international friendlies and national squads international friendlies for maximum matey football fun.

As everyone knows, there's more to football than tonking a pig's bladder up and down some grass. Tactical, strategic team play is as important as nifty footwork. Luckily, the programmers of Super Kick Off haven't forgotten this and have incorporated a lovely tactics option.

This presents itself at the set-up screen before each match, allowing you to choose from eight different formations for your team. Should your chosen strategy seem not to work for you, pressing START brings up the in-game menu from where your tactics are changed.

Super Kick Off is a PAUSE fan's dream come true. Pressing the START button doesn't just halt the action and bring up a PAUSED message, it also conjures forth a groovy in-game menu, allowing you to alter all manner of gome aspects without restarting.

For instance, the size of the radar may be switched between extra-jumbo super-size and handy bite-size proportions. Or change the tactics your team are using if they don't seem to be getting you anywhere.

Alternatively, take a quick break and get a slow-motion replay of the last few seconds of play leading up to the pause, especially great if you pause it straight after scoring. Then again, some players may be happy to use their in-game options facilities to substitute injured or particularly bad players. Last, but not least, sulking players who are all upset about losing can quit the game from here, much to the amusement of anyone who happens to be watching at the time.

Of course, there's one accessory no Saturday afternoon down the terraces would be complete without. Something which makes every spectator feel more at one with the game. A Thermos full of hot tea? A lovely full colour programme? Or indeed, that crudely mode Coke cup megaphone for shouting abuse at the referee through? Of course not we're talking about the radar. Yes, and now that radiation-run monitoring device so popular with today's fans has made the transition to the Megadrive. This handy widget sits in the top left corner displaying the movements of the two teams, represented by white and black dots.

This allows the player to keep track of both their own and the opposing teams movements off the screen, making it a lot easier to set up passes and play strategically, as well as avoid tricky defensive formations. And it also acts as on early warning system against incoming enemy aircraft! Hurray!

It seems we've been urging Megadrive-owning soccer fans to hang on for Super Kick Off for years now, what with the lacklustre showings put in by other footie games, so it really has got a lot to live up to.

Fortunately, Super Kick Off exceeds expectations and almost very nearly justifies the tremendous wait. The game itself does need a bit of "getting in to" to coin a phrase - at first, the free-rolling ball is a bit of a challenge for those normally accustomed to a leather which adheres itself firmly to the sole of your boot. Hoever, once this small hurdle is overcome, the game is as fast-paced as you could wish - faster, in fact than pretty much every football game going.

There's a lot of skill required in playing Super Kick Off, but the game is very rewarding once you put in the effort. There's absolutely loads going on, from all the tournaments to head-to-head play and it's even possible to have two players on the same side, which is always a welcome sight.

Megadrive Super Kick Off has also managed to shed the "lovable" bugs which infested the Amiga version, such as the intangible net sides and the score-from-a-kickoff surefire technique, although the computer-controlled keepers are still all but impossible to beat at first.

Put simply, Super Kick Off is one of the greatest games ever, and the Megadrive version is as packed with options, tweakables and gameplay as any other version. It's been a long time coming, but the Megadrive finally does have a soccer game worth the sponds.

After suffering years of crappy football games on the Megadrive, the torture is over - Super Kick Off is here and soccer fans will never again find themselves suffering soggy balls, uncontrollable dribbling and shooting all over the place.

Well, only when they first play this game and realise how brilliant it really is. The options are truly stunning - every aspect of the game is catered for and there are a whole variety of play modes covering all manner of cups and leagues. But, like all the best versions of this game, it's the playability where this is the champion.

If you haven't played Kick Off before, the controls take a bit of getting used to due to the fact that the ball doesn't stick to your feet. But, once mastered, the level of control and degrees of skill you can develop on this game are incredible. Steal the ball from an opponent with a slide tackle, sweep the ball swiftly up the field with a mega passing move and beat the keeper with a mega rocket banana-shot!

Super Kick Off is a truly rewarding game, because the more you play it the better you get, the greater the game becomes! And with its wealth of skill levels, multiple strategy modes and the all-important (and absolutely superb) two-player modes, this is a game that'll last longer than your Megadrive - I've been playing Kick Off since it was first released in 1987 and still love it now! Don't miss it!

Presentation 90%
P. Hordes of options and more options scream for attention, as well as numerous presentation screens and some snazzy graphics.
N. The all-icon menus take a bit of getting used to...

Graphics 82%
P. Small, as the saying goes, but perfectly formed. Detailed and colourful sprites and smooth-scrolling pitches in a variety of designs!

Sound 76%
P. Decent quality tunes and effects... reproduced speech.
N. But there's not really that many of them to speak of.

Playability 96%
P. Fast moving and exciting, but very hard to master. There's literally years worth of skills to be learnt here.
N. Does take a bit of the old getting in to.

Lastability 94%
P. The four tourneys should last single players quite a while, and with another player it should last forever and ever and ever.

Overall 95%
The best football game going, and one which every Megadrive owner, regardless of their interest in the sport, should leap out and purchase.