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Football is an extremely difficult game to simulate on a Spectrum, and this isn't a very successful attempt.

The setting is a World Cup tournament, and you start by deciding what team you want to represent, and whether you're playing against the computer, or against other players.

So far, so good. But when the players make their appearance on the pitch, accompanied by a horribly out-of-key rendering of the Match Of The Day signature tune, you begin to have doubts.

The players are tiny stick figures, black for one team, white for the other. Their animation isn't very convincing, consisting mainly of a rather jerky run. And when two opposing players overlap, the black one momentarily disappears, making it hard at times to keep track of play!

But the biggest drawback is the play itself. You can't, of course, control all your team's players at once (there are six per side) - you simply control the one nearest the ball. If your opponent has possession, you must try to run your man into the man with the ball in the hope that the 'tackle' leaves you with the ball.

If it does, then your best tactic is simply to weave your way toward the goal using the single player - this is far more successful than trying to pass, but unfortunately it results in a rather boring game. Similarly the easiest technique for scoring is not to actually shoot - the computer-controlled goal-keepers are too agile. Just dribble the ball right into the net instead...!

Unfortunately I couldn't see what the nicely drawn spectators were getting excited about.