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There's no justice! Clint deserved his Oscar for Unforgiven and Emma Thompson can just about justify hers in Howard's End, but how did that gibbering old ham Pacino beat Hulk Hogan to the best actor honours? We thriled at Suburban Commando. We laughed at Mr. Nanny, but his performance in Slaughterama, VI, -, The Death, Bout ((c) Fopsport International 1837) moved the world to tears.

So it seems rather odd, bearing in mind the theatrical pretensions of WWF Wrestling, that the game of that name is actually a beat-'em-up, and a darned fine one at that. In some art-imitating-life paradox, WWF the game is exactly the sport that the TV version pretends to be and isn't.

This Wrestlefest is a joystick killer. As either Hulk Hogan, British Bulldog or the Ultimate Warrior, you've got to grapple WWF's other star baddies into seven shades of submission using a subtle blend of psychology and extreme violence. Which, of course, means shaking your 'stick to within an inch of its life.

Wresting, it seems, is all in the wrist. There are two forms of attack - running kicks or close-up grappling. Two quick flicks send your make-up merchant steaming for the ropes. He'll bounce off and then you've enough momentum to leap up and knee, kick or butt anyone in your way - if you've got your timing right. All good fun, if rather predictable.

Grappling is another matter entirely, and this where WWF comes into its own. Get within grabbing distance of your foe and both wrestlers' arms fly into necklocks. Now it's time to waggle like you've never waggled before (and a neat little graphic appears to remind you). Reach the top of your waggle-o-meter first and you hold the other guy overhead, ready to hurl him on to the canvas in the time-honoured spleen-splitting fashion.

If you lose this waggle race, your (soon-to-be) lifeless form is held Predator-fashion above your opponent's head and you're slammed to the canvas. Lying there winded, your opponent will leap on top of you and go for the pin. Now it's time to get your fingers flicking those Fire buttons. The faster you press the quicker you get your breath back and the quicker you throw him off.

The action's furiously paced. One minute you're on top, then your foe will get the upper hand. The gameplay's limited, but is such a fast mix of prowling, running away and furious stick-slapping action that you never really notice. Whether you win or lose a bout, you end up panting and nursing an aching arm. A few seconds afterwards, though, the elation of victory and the cramps fade, and you're eager for a shot at the next meat-head in line!

WWF even accommodates this need for an occasional break. Er, which is a polite way of saying that the game is a massive multiload.

The programmers have tried to keep the loading to a minimum by supplying a ring full of continues, but these alone can't stop the rewind nightmare. The price for WWF's great-looking graphics, it seems, are tortuously long tape times.

Historically speaking, gameplay and wrestling have never been happy bed-fellows. WWF Wrestlemania has changed all that. Now it seems they can kip quite happily alongside each other - even if Wrestling does snore! In fact, the game's only real fault is that multiload - it's huge. But if you want to grapple on your C64 (!?!) then there's only one serious contender - WWF.

WWF calls on both high-speed joystick waggling and button pressing skills. But to give your fingers a rest try flicking the Autofire ON and then holding down Fire when rapid button pressing is needed. Remember to flick Autofire back OFF afterwards, though, as otherwise it can affect some of your other moves.

Graphics 80%
Heavyweight sprites and colourful combat action (and those mugshots).

Sound 48%
Loads of grunty, groany, growly effects... and tolerable music too.

Playability 87%
The on-screen joystick prompts make swift gaming easy.

Lastability 66%
It will take a while to beat, but should be worth the (physical) effort.

Overall 88%