Not A Knockout

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I try not to miss a fight on the telly, so when asked if I had seen boxing on the Beeb I was most upset, until I discovered that the boxing was The Big K.O. and the Beeb wasn't BBC1 but my little micro.

After games like Matchday and Olympic Decathlon with large sprites and flicker-free movement, another 'sporty' game seemed inevitable. Tynesoft has come up with The Big K.O. - a boxing game where you have to pit your wits against increasingly aggressive opponents.

Unlike previous Tynesoft disc-based games, this one is supplied in a clear compact disc-style box. The instructions are rather too concise - it doesn't tell you that you need to press three keys to punch.

There is an option for a two-player game. This is all right if you have joysticks, but gets rather chaotic with two people trying to get at the keyboard simultaneously! I wouldn't say that The Big K.O. stretches my Beeb to its limits.

Disc users are privileged to have an editor program to edit graphics and boxers' statistics. This, however, is supplied without instructions and is difficult to follow.

In general, the game could be improved. I think I'll stick to watching the telly.

Richard Bellis