Gooooaaaallll!
While it might not be up the standards of the all conquering FIFA series or even classics like Kick Off or Sensible Soccer, this fairly obscure football is worth a look if you've exhausted the possibilities of all these other titles. For the most part, this is familiar stuff, being a mostly action-oriented soccer game with most of the usual options to play around with. However, it opens things up and makes a few changes by allowing players to recreate all World Cups from 1958 to 1998, with all the authentic teams and players from the various represented periods. Off the pitch, you have to deal with things like players retiring, new ones coming on to the scene and changes in the world at large, such as the opening up of the Iron Curtain and the emergence of new countries and teams. In a slightly curious move that was heavily touted, the game drops the usual commentary from the pros and uses a system dubbed PlayerChat, which basically means you only get the sounds of the stadium, such as the players and crowd. This does give the game the feel of seeing things from the stadium yourself, which is interesting, but it's not entirely successful. There are also some initial concerns with the control system, which is overly complex to start with and takes some time to get to grips with but persevere and you will be rewarded. In most other respects, this is a solid enough title, with some nice visuals and animation and plenty of challenging teams to take on. The historical aspect is a big draw so if you like to relive the old days of soccer, this is for you.
