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With my head in my hands I sat patiently not daring to watch the final pitch. The bases were loaded, and if our pitcher made a hash of this one, we were done for! I spat out my gum and stared hard at my sneakers. Suddenly I hear cheers! I looked up, they had hit a home run. The boss would be looking for a new coach.

...I woke up and found that I had been playing Championship Baseball a bit too long. This is the kind of action that has made the game so popular in America. Now on computer you get the chance to find out just why it's so big over there, or why it isn't recognised over here.

For those of you who like your sport strictly British-style, I suppose I better explain what Baseball is... rounders, apart from a few minor differences, that is. Four bases, a batsman (who must attempt to run round the bases). A pitcher, and plenty of fielders. Hit the ball. Run round the bases. You get home, one point to your team. You get caught, you're out. You stop, you have to wait for the next batsman.

This is now the second in the Gamesmaster series, and having played all three I must admit that it is probably the best. You are first offered the choice of either playing or practising. On your first go, I strongly advise practising, as hitting the ball is about as easy as scratching your left elbow with your left hand! If you were feeling fearless, and you chose the game option, you will then be offered the chance to play against the much-celebrated computer team, or a friend. After this comes the task of playing.

When in bat for the first time, the only description I can give of the experience was humiliating. There are only really two types of strokes you can go. A bunt, which is holding out the ball so it hits the bat and rolls away, or (and most people will choose this...) the slug, swing the bat backwards and then forwards in an attempt to hit far and possibly go for that all-important home run! As you can probably imagine, the slug is fairly hard.

I didn't quite make such a dog's dinner of the fielding. I say 'quite' in the broadest possible sense as I wasn't exactly baseball's Viv Richards. The fielders are set out in a similar way to rounders, one on each of the four bases and others scattered outfield. Your first task is to pitch a ball so the batsman doesn't slaughter it out of the park, this isn't too hard against a feeble human, but all 64K of the Commie's memory banks seem to be concentrating on that vital home run. Once the ball is hit, you must then move one of your outfielders to return it or, if possible, catch it. You must attempt to throw the ball to the appropriate base, and either get him out by tagging him between bases or throwing it to the one he's running to before he gets there.

Accolade not so long ago brought what was very close to the perfect baseball sim.

I'd have to say this one will only be wanted by baseball freaks on a rainy day. So take a rain check.