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One day in 1823, while playing soccer, William Webb Ellis decided it would be a greta idea to pick up the ball and run with it. Instead of being sent off, Ellis was hailed as the "Father of the handling game" by inventing Rugby Football. (Maradonna didn't get anything like this recognition in 1986!) Rugby: The World Cup now means you can enjoy "the game for ruffians played by gentlemen" without leaving the comfort of your keyboard.

Rugby is an overhead simulation that enables you to control a team from one of the world's top rugby playing nations. As the name suggests, it's based on the 1991 tournament, but you also have the choice of playing single games. Once you have selected the match duration - 20, 40 or 60 minutes - and your opponents for a single match, the teams sprint onto the pitch to begin a bout of gratuitous violence.

Thankfully there's no management-sim rubbish, but you are able to do everything you'd expect to do while on the pitch. Some vague knowledge of rugby is helpful, but the controls are simple to use. The joystick moves your players, although only those with black lines above their heads can actually be controlled. To pass or kick, simply press Fire and the ball travels in the direction you're running. The longer you hold down the Fire button, the further it travels. Tackling involves running into your opponent when he has the ball. If you mistime your dive, though, you're left sprawling in the dirt.

The game includes crums and line-outs which are important to win to gain possession and control play. You win these set-pieces by pushing the joystick left and right as quickly as possible until the ball is released to your scrum-half. Don't hang around with it here, though, or the opposing forwards are on your like a ton of bricks.

Try-scoring couldn't be easier once you've passed the opposition's try-line. Just press Fire and you collect your four points and some unconvincing crowd applause. Converting the try is nicely executed. Press the Fire button when the cursor is between the posts and the kicker obligingly belts the ball through the uprights. Drop-goals and push-over tries are also possible and add to the realism.

Unless you're a fan of exhausting joystick waggling you may find that's your biggest gripe with Rugby - a lot of it goes on and, if you do well in the tournament option, you'll never play the piano again. It is, however, a surprisingly accurate sim that captures the excitement of the sport and has a high "grab-factor". The game is fast-moving and the controls simple to use.

The "scanner" on the left of the screen is useful since it shows your position on the pitch and is vital to your success. Another great aspect is the skill of your opponents. Each of the sixteen teams has a different level of ability, so beating the USA is easy but the All Blacks are a different proposition altogether, however, playing the two-player option is more fun. If you're into rugger after the October coverage, you'll have a great time with this game. So, ruck off down to the games shop and try it!

1. Graphics are less detailed than most football games such as Kick Off 2.
2. Runs at an excellent speed - faster than International 3D Soccer.
3. Relies heavily on your ability to win set pieces, which can be frustrating. If you have arthritic hands, forget it.
4. Simple but realistic. It recreates the flow of the sport well - better than I Play 3D Soccer.