Reviews

The first review of 2013!....okay okay...MY first review on 2013..and can you guess what this is? Yes that's right it's yet another uninspiring soccer game! Bloody hell here we flipping go again!

Based on the Mega Drive original (not an arcade co-op mentioned on WoS..someone have a word about that...please?) this suffers from the same lack of charm as most soccer games do. The presentation is quite nice, similar to that of the original in fact, one of 24 international teams can be selected and you choose who gets selected for the team in usually a 4-4-2 formation...and of course one goalie...that would be suicidal!

However that's the last good point the game possesses because as with most of these soccer games the gameplays counts for everything, and this is where the trouble begins...per usual! It is almost impossible to a) gain control of the ball, b) keep control of the ball, c) win back the ball you just lost, d) defend and e) do almost anything.

Yep that's right World Championship Soccer is a total mess! Within 7 minutes (according to the clock in the right, more like 90 seconds), I Spain were 3-0 to South Korea! As soon as I kicked off the ball is lost and...well that's it they score...oh f) save the ball, because your goalie is useless! At random periods he suddenly becomes an outfield player and chases the ball...thus leaving your goal wide open for them to score, brilliant!

For the presentation alone this isn't the worst soccer game of the Spectrum, but for the gameplay it's pretty darn close. So in conclusion, stick to the Mega Drive version or stick with Match Day instead...or better yet, make your own football with some toilet tissue and kick that around the house, there that's something more fun than this game!

This, by my account so don't hold your breath, was the last Elite Systems game released on the ZX Spectrum, and I cannot think of a more abysmal way for such a company to go out.