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Joystick waggling ahoy. Its scrum-down time again for all rugger freaks. But is this little thugger as good as the other? Only last month we were thumping the drum for Domark's corking rugby game, which is, it has to be said, a pretty unbeatable mix of rugger action and silicon mayhem. Now Audiogenic have entered the arena with shouts of 'follow that act' a-ringing in their ears. But they've left the tussle as runners up.

It's not that World Class Rugby is a load of old tosh. In fact its pretty cool in an average sort of way. The problem is that if you have to choose between the two, you'd be well advised to go Domark. It's a shame really, because had this been the only rugby game in the shops, it would undoubtedly be the best of its kind ever.

Anyone who tucked into last month's demo version of this game will already know pretty much what it's all about. But for those of you who didn't buy the last issue (you're mad) - here's a summary.

It's an above-but-slightly-angled view of an (ahem) rugby pitch, with thirty decidedly un-beefy looking fellas bimbling about. Rugby's often implausible rules are followed religiously, so there's much rucking, scruming, crunching, passing and running to be done. Controls are all intuitive, so you pull back and Fire to pass, pull forward and fire to kick and so on. As seems to have become the norm, rucks and scrums are won by waggling the joystick. These are pretty hard to lose but, as we'll see, that's about the only part of the game that's easy.

Getting your ball past the opposition is about as simple as stuffing a pizza up one nostril and here, I'm afraid, the game falls down quite badly. Now I know I'm not the world's greatest games player, but managing one try in about twenty games does suggest that the skill level of the computer opposition has been set a tad too high. Tackling other players is an absolute nightmare because while they're weaving their way through your defences, all you can do is hope one of your players is close enough to tackle. No doubt a zillion hours of practice would rectify this problem but personally, I'd just as soon spend the rest of my life watching Emmerdale Farm as try and perfect this game!

As a two-player game the improvement is marked because both players can be crap, and still have a good time. But the games never have that real rugby feel to them. It's sort of like rugger, but not really enough like it to be convincing. Thankfully there are plenty of options available. You can play in a World Cup tournament, league or plain old friendly, and there are other little bits to faff around with, such as skill levels and game-time. But, I'm afraid all these little tweaks can't stop you wishing that you were playing that other rugby game instead. This must be a disappointment for Audiogenic, as far as timing goes anyway.

1. Tricky computer opposition - computer-controlled players are far more agile than you'll ever be.
2. Lacks the rhythm of the real thing (unless it's a two-player game, it's just a run from one end of the pitch to the other).
3. Unlucky timing means that there's already a better game on the same subject (Domark's Rugby World Cup, released last month).

1. Follows the rules of the real game very closely (hurrah!).
2. Special plays defined by on-screen menus which pop up when you need them.
3. Animation and the kicking guide are both very well done.
4. Great two-player game.
5. Loads of options.