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Because of his ability to have a good cry on the football pitch, Gazza has become the new symbol of England in the '90s. Therefore, it's not surprising that a software house is bringing out a licensed game in his honour.

Gazza 2 is an icon-driven football management and simulation game. You can pick from the 40 best teams in Europe and lead them into battle against the other sides. On the initial screen you can choose to have a quick game against the computer or another person, or enter the management section.

If you choose to manage, you enter your name and then pick a team. Now, you can concentrate on the serious side of management. You can move between three main sections at this point in the game, representing the Manager, the Coach and the Scout. Obviously these three people have different responsibilities, so you need to distribute your time wisely.

The Manager ensures there's enough dosh to keep the club afloat. He sees all the till receipts from the ground and if things get really bad he can take out a loan. Scouting is all about keeping an eye on the talent in other teams - on the transfer lists, for example. However, the Scout also has to check out the players who aren't on the list yet but might be with a little persuasion. The Coach trains the team so that they play their very best. He also picks the side and promotes the promising talent from the youth squad.

Once the team is ready, you can start playing a match. This is viewed from overhead and you play from left to right on a variety of surfaces. The kick controls are comprehensive with aftertouch, bends, chips and drives making it easy to control a player.

Gazza 2 looks great. The icon management system is attractive even thouh Gazza always glares at you. The pitch looks a lot like Kick Off although you do play in the opposite direction. The players are also similar to Kick Off's chaps but they move more realistically: the animation and scrolling are excellent. Sound consists of meaty spot samples.

Gazza 2 is surprising fun and the pace of the football matches is much more realistic - there's plenty to learn and improve upon. What's more, sixteen people can play at once, thus adding to its appeal.

By now though people are fed up to the back teeth with footy games. Gazza 2 is fun, but it's also tremendously derivative - the programmers seem to have poached the best elements from the top footy games. If, by some freak of nature, you don't already own seventeen football games then give it a try (hanky not included).