Activision/Sprytes Ltd
£9.99 cass only

Yeah, kick 'em in the shin, knee 'em in the... - hang on, this looks like an ordinary footy game. Fighting Soccer is misnamed (just like Continental Circus which has nowt to do with the big top): there are no guns, no flick knives or even a bazooka, just you (and maybe a friend) kicking an air-filled cow skin up and down a rather nicely mown pitch. The game starts with the usual options - keyboard/joystick, one or two player, etc. But a rather nice feature is the ability for one player to challenge the computer, challenge a friend, or you and a friend to join forces to beat the computer players into the ground.

The first match is against Japan with three minutes allowed to score as many goals as humanly possible. Three quarters of the screen is dominated by the playing area, but to the right of this is the status panel. This shows the goals scored, the amount of time left in each match, and a radar map of the pitch showing the positions of each player's men. The pitch is viewed from above, a perspective slightly confusing at first which a bit of practice soon sorts out. Four type of move are available: a sliding tackle, a short kick, a long overhead kick, and if the ball is near the opponent's net you've got the chance to head it (well you can head the ball anytime, but you look a right prat doing this in mid pitch).

With five games to play (providing you survive each match: if you lose a match it's end of game) the final one is played against Argentina, and providing you beat them you'll win the tournament and return home a hero. We must be thankful this isn't one of those footy manager type games where you have to faff around for ages setting up who's playing, and in which position etc.! Fighting Soccer gets straight into the action, although the title is more than a little misleading - I was expecting to see Rambo running around in a pair of football boots blasting away with a huge gun. We've all seen football games before, and even though this isn't quite as zzzz inducing as some offerings, it surely ain't likely to set the Chrimble market alight.

MARK [67%]

Fighting Soccer? That's not fair! When I play soccer we re not allowed to fight, there's always loads of swearing though! Yes faithful readers, this is another soccer game to add to the ever increasing pile (and most of them have only been fourth division quality!). Graphically this is quite good. Detailed players and pitch plus animated commentary make the game look highly polished. The big let down is in the sound: I played the 48K version and didn't hear a peep - I don't know whether the 128K game is any better. Unlike many other soccer games you have more control over what the player does in this. For example, when there's a throw in you can control how high the player jumps and heads the ball: brills Fighting Soccer is well programmed and will appeal to soccer fans. Check it out if you fancy a good of kick about.
NICK [67%]

Activision
£9.99 cass
Reviewer: Paul Laikin

Times have changed since I were a lad. In't great days of Stanley Matthews and that there Jimmy Greaves thou could bite the opponent's leg off and still meet him in't bar afterwards for a pint and packet of porkie scratchings. (Stop lying. You're not that old! Ed) Ahem. Rumbled. Anyway, these days if you try and bite someone's leg off he'll probably turn round and go for your winkle or something (Blimey! Steady on! Ed). The point is, footie's getting like blooming Rollerball these days so it was only a matter of time for a game called Fighting Soccer to appear. In fact, I'm just shocked they didn't do one years ago!

So the big disappointment for me is that there's no actual fighting in here. What a rip off! To make up for it though, they've stuck in plenty of other weird stuff. How about teams like 'Britain' (whatever happened to 'England'?) and 'Japan' (!), or cheerleaders who perform anatomically dubious dances every time you win? How bizarre! Eventually, I sussed out that it's all meant to be the Olympics, not the World Cup (which explains 'Japan' etc) but, even so, Matt Busby would turn in his grave (except he's still alive).

But on to the details. Play is of the fairly traditional control-the-player-nearest-the-ball type, and viewed from above. There's a good unusual bit where you attempt to head the ball and the player rather alarmingly leaps right out of the screen (like the ball in Passing Shot). In fact, the players are fairly large, even when they're not going for it 'on the 'ed' which generally makes the game pretty dramatic to look at. All nicely done, though it's arguable that the pitch is a bit small - good news when you're attacking but a right old pain in the shin-pad when one moment you're being tackled on the half way line and the next you're picking the ball out of the net.

Still, control of the players is smooth. Tackling's very satisfying too, giving the impression of snatching the ball right off your opponents' toes.

However, the kicking feature is less well executed. There was no problem with punting the ball down-pitch Wimbledon-style but those oh-so-subtle tap-ins from inside the penalty area were a tadge more tricky (like impossible). In the end I was reduced to dribbling round the keeper and following the ball info the net.

There are some interesting options. As well as playing against the computer or another player it is also possible for two players to take on the computer, which could make for some neat passing games. However, true to form, attempts by the Your Sinclair All-Stars to use this option resulted in more confusion than control. One irritating feature is that the computer is a bit of a know-it-all show off. Pause to collect your thoughts and before you know where you are the blooming thing has taken control of your player! Oi! Hang on a minute! I want to play too!

Both goalkeepers come computer controlled, which is a great relief, though (and this may just be sour grapes) the opposition's goalie seemed a lot better than mine. Blooming cheating computer.

What else do I need to mention? Ah yes, the scoring. The way I see it, the way to win a game of football is to score more goals than the other side... call me old fashioned if you like. All fine and dandy except every time you score in Fighting Soccer the screen flashes up the message "Nice Shoot". Oops.

Still, I can live with grammatical errors (they're quite funny) but unfortunately there are a few footballing ones in here as well. I mean, what are all those people doing in the penalty area during a goal kick, for a start? And why are Brazil such a soft option as opponents? And why are Japan such tough opening opponents (when in 'real life' the entire country has probably two inflated pigskins between them!)? And isn't football supposed to be a game of two halves? Eh? Eh?

These aren't Activision's fault (they were present in the coin-op) so it's a bit unfair to carp, but there are enough of them to stop Fighting Soccer having any chance at becoming the definitive footie sim. In fact, as soccer games go (and there are loads about, as you might have noticed) this one falls into the 'a bit weird and not particularly precise but very playable all the same' category. I enjoyed it and kept on coming back for more, which is all you can really ask for (except for more opponents, fewer cheerleaders, better spelling...).

Label: Activision
Author: Spryte
Price: £8.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Jim Douglas

Sounds like a winner doesn't it? Unfortunately, while the title promises so much, the game doesn't really deliver.

For a start, the game doesn't include any fighting. Dodgy translation from the Japanese, apparently. This, I have to say is a bit of a let down.

I was fully expecting a lot of "Climb player", "punch ref" options, or at the very least the ability to determine how high your tackles are. Alas, there's none of it. Fighting Soccer is simply a reasonable conversion of a pretty average footy game.

You're given a top down view of the pitch and all the players. There's not much colour (green pitch and shaded black players). The screen scrolls poorly, and the animation of the players is slow and jerky.

Obviously, the aim of the game is to stuff the ball into the opposition's onion bag as many times as possible before the end of the game.

In a sort of World Cup scenario, you play teams from around the globe, each with different strengths and weaknesses.

Since you can't control more than one player at time, you are forced to rely on the computer to guide the remaining men in your team into sensible pass-opportunity places. This is all very well, but the naff nature of the animation and action makes any really plans of strategy a little bit pie-in the sky, Brian.

The opposing team seems to have a shooting advantage that I simply can't put down to my big match nerves, Saint. Once one of the other team has the ball at his feet, he pummels the goalie with the ball until the poor lad is so dazed he just lets the ball through.

An off-the-line clearance is a rare event.

In fact, scoring goals isn't that tough. I found that the effort involved getting the ball and my players up the pitch far tougher than actually banging one in, John.

Probably the nicest programming touch crops up when you're jumping for a header. The players rise up from the pitch as they scramble for the ball.

The only reason people play sports games in the arcades - and indeed at home - whether it's a soccer game or a bowling simulation, is the playability. On a home machine. you have to make a careful decision whether to concentrate on the pics or the action. Fighting Soccer falls resolutely between both stools, and smashes its teeth out in the process.

Spectrum 48/128 £9.99
Commodore 64/128 Cassette: £9.99, Diskette: £14.99
Amiga £24.99

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST EXPORT?

Despite what you might think, this has nothing whatever to do with football hooligans. Instead, it's a knock-out tournament involving ten countries 'fighting it out' for the highly sought-after Olympic trophy.

The different play modes are against the computer, a second player, or two players combining forces to thrash the nasty 8- or 16-bit. Action is viewed from above and shows a small segment of the multi-directional scrolling pitch. Beside it is a status area giving score, time and a small radar display of the whole pitch.

The control system allows kicks of various strengths, headers and sliding tackles - so you can get a bit violent.

That's really all there is to it but it doesn't even seem like that much when you play it. It was okay as an SNK coin-op but as a computer game it's beaten hands down by the likes of MicroProse Soccer, Kick Off and Match Day 2.

The player sprites stroll slowly and aimlessly around in all three versions reviewed, responding awkwardly and sluggishly to joystick control. Making headway to a goal is usually a matter of luck or sheer bloodymindedness, charging through the opposition - accurate passing and skill are the stuff of dreams.

Put simply, Fighting Soccer is awkward and boring to play so you're unlikely to want to get past the first round, least of all win the championship. Footy fans should take their studded boots and halftime oranges elsewhere.