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Uh, oh. I wasn't looking forward to this. I really wasn't. For a start, I hate wrestling. While everyone else watches the exploits of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks unfold in the ring, not to mention seeing the wrestlers themselves uncoil from some of their barmier contortions, I get down to something a bit less confrontational. And then there's my doubt about wrestling as the subject for a computer game. Remember all the wrestling games which have gone before? No? Well, there you go...

But now I'm a changed man. Wrestling big men with daft names, in silly costumes. That's where it's at. This change of heart is all down to one thing - Ocean's WWF.

For a start there are the heroes. Controlling Hulk Hogan (master of the pile drive), Ultimate Warrior (with his inimitable mastery of the gorilla press) or British Bulldog (the power slammer) is sure to appeal to everyone. And then there are the bad guys - Mr. Perfect, The Warlord, Million Dollar Man, The Mountie (stop smirking at the back there!) and Sergeant Slaughter. Don't laugh. Just because these guys look stupid and have daft names, it doesn't mean they're softies.

Playing one player against the computer pits you against the five successively tougher big guys. Should one of them pin you a couple of times, it's back to the drawing board.

The game itself looks good. The main ring covers just one screen - there's no fancy scrolling here - but the play area is more than ample, and there's even the opportunity to conduct fights outside the ring (just like the real thing). The wrestlers themselves move fluidly and very much like their real counterparts. Each of the moves looks convincing and the fighters tangle brilliantly.

This individuality is carried through to their levels of intelligence, preferred moves and of course their special moves. Even the computer opponents display intelligence (is this a wrestling contradiction or what?) and learn to avoid certain moves if they come up against them repeatedly. Playing against a human opponent is wild enough but pitting muscles against the computer opponents really separates the muscle-heads from the lightweights.

Prior to a game, there's some pretty cool intro stuff, including a few words from each of the wrestlers. As you can imagine, it's completely corny and laughable (just like the real WWF pre-match verbal fights) but great fun.

As is the case with most beat-'em-ups the success or failure is largely dependent on the control system used. Learning when to use what is the secret to success. Rebounding off the ropes and flying into your opponent, or belly flopping on him from one of the corner posts soon becomes second nature.

One masterstroke was the decision to use that old-fashioned waggle-the-joystick-from-side-to-side-as-quickly-as-possible system. If the two wrestlers end up in a lock, the outcome is decided by sheer joystick waggling. The result is that, after a couple of bouts, the sweat really begins to pour and the arm muscles ache like hell. It almost feels like you've just been taking part in the real thing. Getting pinned to the floor also involves bouts of physical exertion, this time on the Fire button. After playing WWF I can definitely say that this is not utter rubbish. Several rounds of intense wrestling left me too knackered even to make a cuppa. Wow, a sports game which is just as physical as the real thing.

As you can see, I'm having a bit of a hard time finding fault with WWF. It's really well put together. It's as single-minded as they come, the beat-'em-up concept is as old as the hills, and it doesn't have one single redeeming feature to lift it out of that dodgy quagmire of games which have no social or moral merit.

Nope, I'm sorry Ocean, WWF is just a torrid, mindless celebration of muscles, macho rubbish and pantomime violence. Maybe that's why I like it so much. And, bruises from the joystick bash aside, that's probably why you'll like it, too.

1. The wrestlers have real character and dumb phrases - just like the real thing.
2. Five bad guys to take on - and they're no pushover.
3. Cool joystick waggling and button pushing icons show just what needs to be done.
4. The number of moves is just right.
5. Spot on control method makes everything feel perfectly natural.
6. Brilliant presentation.
7. Convincing and colourful graphics throughout.
8. A must for all WWF fans.
9. Nice sound effects.
10. Good two-player game.

1. Another beat-'em-up.