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Arrgh! It's not even time for the European Championships and already we're being pestered with footie games. Well every game, even football related ones, deserve a chance. So let's see what this one has to offer!

World Cup is basically a football management sim but - don't let that put you off it. It benefits from having loads of menus that are all incredibly accessible from one load. You can flick between them instantaneously, avoiding the boredom and distraction of a lot of management games which have a multi-load format.

World Cup allows you to choose which team to lead and which World Cup group you want to play in. Additionally teams are fully re-created with genuine international player names which, in my opinion, is a big bonus. As the manager you may remove players who are not up to scratch, change names, select individual members to go into training and then actually train the whole team as you see fit! Furthermore you can swap positions and spy on other international sides to discover if their tactics include operating the sweeper system on defence or, like Big Al and Jack Charlton, going straight in, studs up at the kneecaps!

Absolutely every event and condition of managing, coaching and organising a football team is here, and I defy anyone to think of an option that's not. When everything's sorted it all boils down to the match though, and what happens when the big day arrives.

Each game is watched in a humourous Subbuteo mode. The pace can be speeded up or slowed down, and interaction is maintained by the ability to substitute players at any time. It's actually a lot more exciting than it sounds. Watching the ball rattle around the pitch from end to end and player to player is so exhausting I had to lie down for a few hours after my first game! Match commentary is displayed on screen with player names and the success or failure of each move is commented upon.

There really is so much here I've really only scratched the surface, suffice to say that this is a refreshing twist to the football management genre. The balance between strategy and action has been bridged, on budget at last.

Label: Cult Memory: 48K/128K Price: £3.99 Tape Reviewer: Steve Keen

Don't be fooled by the primitive graphics and the boring pedigree of football management games. This is a winner! I could have played it for ages.