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This latest offering from the formidable Peter Scott/Superior team puts you in the role of a football player/manager, combining on-the-field action with strategic planning just like the real thing!

In the arcade section where there's a one or two player option, you play a series of league games. Fortunately, you don't need eleven pairs of hands as you always control the player nearest the ball (with the exception of your goalie, who's looked after by the computer).

All the action takes place within a window which shows an area around the ball, just like on the telly. For a wider view, there's also an overview of the pull pitch, a clock, the current score and the manager's comments.

With five keys for each player, I was pleased to discover that all keys are redefinable. Nevertheless, it takes time before pressing combinations of them for manoeuvres such as long and short passes, kicking the ball into the air, sliding tackles and headers, comes easily.

The management side of running the team is as closely linked to the field action as in real life.

Your chosen team starts off in Division Four, with the objective of becoming Division One League Champions a long term goal. After eleven league games you've played all the teams in your division, the season's over and the top two teams are promoted while the bottom pair are relegated.

For the manager, everything hinges around money with your team's earnings depending on which division you've reached and the size of crowd you attract. The main management skill lies in buying and selling players and in careful team selection. For example, players who aren't rested become tired, while teams which aren't rejuvenated by new players become jaded too.

Playing Superior Soccer successfully requries an outstanding combination of manual dexterity and quick thinking along with ability to formulate and implement long-term plans, which coupled together make a good game.

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