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Valdir brought us the Vampe and ZX Nights games but is most commonly known for ZX Striker a football game with up to 16 players that was great fun. Now he has made a sequel of sorts. The game is no longer a multiplayer party game but is now a footy sim. Great footy games are few and far between on the Spectrum so hopes are high Valdir has delivered a game to rival the on pitch action of Match Day 2 or Emlyn Hughes International Soccer or perhaps to challenge our managerial prowess like Football Manager did in an in depth simulation style. One can dream.

To appreciate what is on offer here we have to cast out minds back to the limitations and challenges of producing a fast, fluid and fun sports game for the ZX Spectrum. Although some managed it and others such as Hyper Sports exceeded all expectations, most sports titles left a lot to be desired (I'm looking at you 'Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona!). Some of the best football games were management simulations and Valdir has attempted to bring the two genres together mixing some aspects of football action within a simulation style game. The issue here unfortunately is that it doesn't deliver on either front. Instead we have a game which is like Player of the Year without the same excitement levels.

Upon loading the game you are asked to sign your name and are allocated a team. There is no choice so you could end up at any of the chosen European clubs. Your name will then appear in all the statistics (cue the silly names for comedy value). The game then progresses to an extensive menu which gives a chance to view your player's attributes, training options, statistics, results, league tables, upcoming fixtures and the matches themselves. This is the most enjoyable part of the game as the statistics are accurate, extensive and fun to analyse. There is a wide range of European teams in the league and promotion/relegation is possible at the end of each season. The league is a Euro league with no domestic competitions available, there is however, an additional knockout style cup competition to compete in.

The problem comes in the games themselves. You are tasked with watching a ball go from right to left on a 2D horizontal bar. If it gets to the opponents goal you are occasionally notified that “You are through with a chance!" Then you are taken to a screen with your player and a goalkeeper where the striker will be in a different position each time facing an isometric goal with an aiming dot that rotates along in a semi-circular fashion in front of you. You have to time the shot when it's in line with a corner of the goals. The keys will allow to add height or curve to the ball. If you score you are awarded with the word “Goal", filling the screen. The extent of the game is to time the shot correctly and score each time. You do not control the movement of the player. There is no passing or defending, it's just a matter of timing. You will not get a chance every match and your player may have had two chances and scored both goals but then be substituted off for no apparent reason. You also have no control over any managerial aspects of the game and cannot switch players.

Injuries often occur to your player which can be frustrating as you miss games and fall behind in the scoring charts. Sometimes you come back only to be injured again in the first match over and over again. If you are injured you get to skip matches but otherwise you have to watch that horizontal representation of a game for a couple of minutes praying for a chance to actually do something. This boredom forces a sense of excitement when the pink bar notifies you that you have a chance and this is really the only saving grace of the matches as you quickly start to consider what else you could be doing with your time. There is no way of speeding it up either. Instead you are forced to endure a form of football less entertaining than a Jose Mourinho team playing for a draw in the Champions League.

There is an addictive element to the game but the lack of any sound other than the occasional beep means there is no atmosphere or real sense of excitement when you score a goal. I played through an entire season but upon completing that have had no urges to return to the game so replay value is not high, unfortunately.

The statistics are detailed and it is fun to try and catch the leading scorers. Like real football, results are unpredictable and add a sense of excitement to every game. There's depth available through player transfers and through promotion/relegation.

The game becomes so repetitive it stops being fun. You can go for whole games without getting a chance which can lead to boredom and disengagement. The lack of any sound means there is no real atmosphere to the games. A lot of your time is spent clock watching.

Eurostriker attempts something admirable and comes very close to delivering. With a few tweaks in either the interactive gameplay or managerial elements this could be a very good game indeed. As it is however I fear most people will enjoy it for a few minutes then switch it off and not feel any great need to return. Hopefully we see another instalment in the future that rectifies these problems and adds more excitement.