Standard ice hockey fare
While you might think the addition of Wayne Gretzky's name to this old-school hockey simulator would be a good sign of quality, in this case you'd be slightly mistaken and this version unfortunately turns out to be a bit of a dud. In many ways, it's pretty much a standard ice hockey game, similar to the likes of NHL Hockey and Brett Hull Hockey, with a bunch of options including simulation mode, which includes things like penalties, arcade mode, which worries less about the real world rules, as well as options to play a full season, an exhibition match, a random game or even the playoffs. All the big name players and teams of the period are featured in the usual detail, including some international ones, so if you are a stats fan, then there may be something of interest for you here. The game is presented in typical overhead fashion, scrolling from left to right and as you would hope from a hockey game, things are reasonably fast and furious but on the whole, this lacks the real visceral thrills of the best examples of the genre. The visuals are decent, with reasonably animated sprites but as this is a hockey game, there is only so much you can do with the graphics, and it doesn't really look any different from any other similar game you might have played. Controls are likewise familiar and while there's nothing overly wrong with them, they lack the finesse and elegance that you might hope for, something which generally sums up the game. It's not terrible by any stretch, it's just in a crowded market, so unless you're a diehard fan, then you can skip this one, and even if you are, you might find yourself disappointed.
