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The award-winning Kick Off is also scheduled to make an appearance on Nintendo's handheld wonder. From what we've had to look at so far, this version isn't as good as the Game Gear version in terms of presentation or graphics, but it's still got that brilliant Kick Off playability that made the original the classic it was.

It's early days yet, but as you can see from the screenshots, the programmers have done a decent job in cramming a whole soccer pitch (scrolling smoothly in all eight direction) onto the Gameboy's miniature screen.

The only noticeable omission at the moment is the essential Kick Off scanner which monitors the position of all of the players. Still, there's still plenty of programming time remaining and the possibility of incorporating the scanner hasn't been ruled out.

This version also has link-up capabilities, enabling two players to kick off against one another for some two-player antics and goal-related action. Considering the Gameboy's limitations, Kick Off looks like being a real winner and should hopefully go down a storm when it's released early next year.

However, all going well, the game should be complete as you read this, which could lead Nintendo to rush release it for the Christmas market. Provided the game is finished, we should be reviewing the finished product in time for next month's bonanza double-size issue of Mean Machines!