The One


Jahangir Khan's World Championship Squash
By Krisalis
Amiga 500

 
Published in The One #32

Jahangir Khan's World Championship Squash

Get two people, put them in a small room with two racquets and a small blue ball, tell them to hit it against the wall and name the game after a fruit drink. The essence of squash is simply tennis on half a court, but it is regarded as one of the toughest (and most tiring) sports in the world.

There has only ever been one computerised version of the sport - Jonah Barrington's Squash on the Spectrum and C64. But all that has changed thanks to Krisalis Software. Jahangir Khan's World Championship Squash combines an isometrically-viewed arcade game with the managerial skills of the football simulation, Manchester United.

Comment

Whether it's because squash is a fiendishly difficult game to program on a computer, or whether it's because it is still considered a 'minority' sport, there haven't been a great deal of squash games, which is a pity if the quality of Krisalis' effort is anything to go by.

Jahangir Khan's World Championship Squash

Although Jahangir Khan combines both a sport sim and a managerial game, it hasn't gone overboard on either, enabling them to flow freely together. Mass-scale championships are definitely in the offing. The game is full of little touches from the way the crowd size increases as your performances get better to the way the different coloured balls affect each game - blue balls are fast and bounce all over the court, while heavy yellow ones make for a lot of running around.

The biggest drawback is that until you get the hang of the control method, most games are going to end as 9-0 losses. Fortunately, the easy control option helps you work on your positioning first before you start trying to control your shots. It doesn't take too long to get the hang of things and as soon as you do, you're in for one of the best ball sport games to come along for a long time.

Jahangir Khan

Jahangir Khan is not, as some people believe, a distant relative of the infamous 13th century Mongol warrior, but put a squash racquet in his hands and he becomes as deadly on the court as his namesake was with an axe - hardly surprising when you consider his family background.

His father, Rossan Khan, was the British Squash Champion in 1957 and most of his brothers are also heavily involved in the squash circuit. Literally translated, his name means 'conqueror of the world' and he certainly lives up to it. Khan is unbeaten in his last 500 games and is the holder of every squash title in the world.

Paul Presley

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