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It's only now that the dark secrets of Kick Off on the Amiga can be revealed. Smashed computer cassettes, and promotional gimmicks, frayed tempers and free-lancers torn limb from limb all bear testimony to the passions aroused by this game.

No real surprise then that we've been more than anxious to see how the C64 version was going to turn out. A couple of phone calls, a few pulled strings and one black disk later, and, I'm afraid to say, the results are totally disappointing.

The biggest difference is the game now scrolls horizontally rather than up and down, as we're all used to. The intelligence of the players has been reduced to that of lemon it seems. Instead of cunningly running into position, they tend to dawdle around doing their own thing. And it seems only fair to point out that they look a mess. The definition of the players is bad, blocky and unclear. The only thing that seems to have remained the same is the general game control. Rather than utilise the standard kick and run techniques, Kick Off requires you to first trap the ball by holding down the fire button. Centre the joystick then steer the player to dribble, or release the button (with the stick held in the appropraite direction) to launch a shot or a cross. The demon slide tackle is still a formidable weapon in any player's arsenal, and you can instantly bring down the player who is in possession. Watch out, though, this move will almost certainly bring you an instant booking.

The gameplay's too slow for you to act like a speed demon. Instead a tactical approach is required, which sadly reduces the high pressure feel of its 16-bit cousin.

The colour of the pitch is garish, the sound is bad, and so are the graphics. The general gameplay appears to be in the same minor league too. Kick Off C64 is a game which deserves a budget price. By all means take a look at it, but if you're expecting a good kick around, give it a miss.