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Track & Field was the surprise arcade hit of 1984. It was an instant success in Japan and America as well as here in the UK with a flood of imitators joining the band wagon. There are now at least four multi-event athletics games in the arcades and countless version for micros.

Now, Konami, the original creator of Track & Field, has just released the MSX versions of the same game in two parts - Track & Field 1 and Track & Field 2, each containing four events. (They couldn't cram the entire Track & Field on one ROM cartridge so they are separated into two with extra events added). Track & Field 1 has a 100m dash, long jump, hammer throw and 400m run, whereas Track & Field 2 contains 110m hurdles, javelin throw, hig jump and 1500m run. There is little or no difference between the MSX versions and the arcade version. The arcade version was reviewed by athlete, Judy Livermore, in July's issue of C&VG.

Just to recap on what it's all about, here is a rundown on the game. Each game consists of four athletics events in which you can compete against the computer or another player. Each event has a qualifying time or distance you have to achieve in order to stay in the game.

In Track & Field 1, the first event is the 100m dash in which you have to bash away at the RUN button (the -> cursor key) as fast as possible. You will see yourself on the screen running against your opponent in detailed graphics, which are almsot as good as the arcade version. If you qualify in this event, you get a huge round of applause from the crowd and move onto the next event which is the long jump.

In the long jump, you hit the RUN button as fast as possible to accelerate and press the JUMP (space bar) button at the line to jump. The qualifying jump should be more than 6.50m in the first round.

The next event is the hammer throw which is the most difficult event. You hit the RUN button to rotate and when you have gained enough momentum, you release the hammer with the JUMP key. It is very easy to press the JUMP button prematurely, and drop the hammer on your foot (ouch!).

The fourth event is the 400m. It is basically the same as the 100m but a lot longer. In fact, you have to bash the keyboard for about a minute to qualify. You score points according to how fast you are. You score even more points if you beat the world record.

If Track & Field 2, the events are slightly more difficult. The first event is the 110m hurdles in which you must hit the RUN key as well as the JUMP key at the right moment. It's really easy to fall over on the hurdles if you don't get your rhythm correct. To get up, you have to hit the RUN key.

The next event, which is the javelin throw, is tactically rather similar to the long jump. You have to bash the RUN key as fast as possible and, just before the line, throw the javelin by pressing the JUMP (space) key. The angle of the throw depends on how long you press the button. The longer you press the key, the steeper the angle.

As with Track & Field 1, the third event is the toughest - in this case, it's the high jump. The principle of the game is the same as in the long jump but you've got to jump at a steep angle from the right place in order to clear the bar. This event is always the stumbling block for me.

The last event is the 1500m, which is definitely the most tiring. You have to keep on bashing away at the RUN button for four minutes as fast as possible. This event is just as hard as really running 1500m. By the end of it, you'll be totally knackered and your arms will be aching. When you finish the 1500m, you go straight back to the 110m hurdles again, this time with shorter qualifying time.

We found that the running events are the easiest. I have beaten the world record in the 100m and 1500m, although we cheated on the 1500m. Two of us took it in turns, 300m each, so that we could run fast without being tired. You'll require some skill in the hammer throw and high jump. Both events require you to hit the JUMP button at exactly the right moment.

One thing which worries me about this game is the fact that the keyboard takes such a battering. Although most MSX computers have quite robust keyboards. I am not sure if it can take all the hammering if you are totally addicted to this game.

In Japan, Konami and Sony have released a device called "hypershot" which basically consists of JUMP and RUN buttons, but we are not sure if they will release them in this country. One thing I know is that the Sony Running Mat, which is specially designed for Track & Field, won't be released in this country.

The graphics in both games are superb, as usual, with all Konami's MSX games. The athletes are animated extemely realistically and the tracks are drawn with good 3D perspective. When you fail, you see your man scratching his head and when you win, he'll victoriously wave his arms, while the crowd goes wild. I couldn't help laughing when I saw it for the first time - it's so comical.

Track & Field is one of those games which can be very addictive. However, those people who didn't like the original arcade version, because you only have to bash away at two keys, won't be converted by the MSX version.

If you liked Track & Field at the arcades, then this is the software you'll want to get for your MSX. It is as good as the original and easily beats copycat versions produced for the BBC, Sinclair, Atari and Commodore.