| ★ AMSTRAD CPC ★ GAMESLIST ★ LINEBACKER (c) WADDSOFT ★ |
8000Plus) |
Are you the sort of person that stays up all night watching the Superbowl? Then there is a chance that you will enjoy Linebacker, a game that lets you try out your skills as an American Football coach. On the other hand if you aren't already a fan. the game may not have the sparkling graphics, speed of movement or intellectual challenge to keep you occupied. The idea is that you have a choice of calls - the instructions given to your team as to what they should do. For instance you can tell them to either throw or run with the ball in one of twelve plays, choose one of five defences (or defenses as the Americans insist on spelling it) or pick one of three kicking plays. You can choose to play against the computer or against another player (no peeking when your opponent picks his offence now). It even suggests four players can play one taking the defence and one the offence of each side, but this doesn't sound completely riveting. Then you sit back and watch two teams of diamond shapes (green and black for easy recognition) darting about the screen in a manner which at first is about as comprehensible as the politics of the Iran-lraq war. Anyone who has just watched their first game of real American Football will know the feeling. After a while it does become a little plainer what is going on but it is easier to wait for the little screen message saying your star runner has fumbled or your quarter-back's pass has been intercepted. Pick your play - take your chance The essence of the game is to outguess the opposition -opting to run when they are set a pass defence, for instance. There is of course the element of chance built in, just as there must be in the actual game when even if you have called the right play the players mess things up. This is perhaps where things fall down. The random chance element is so strong that it is not exactly obvious what advantage there is in getting the calls right. Without some obvious benefit from guessing correctly you come to feel more a spectator than a participant. It would also not seem to be an sound tactics training tool as it positively encourages you to take risks on fourth downs for instance. True to American Football style, you can indulge any obsession with statistics and print out the final details of number of plays, yards gained running and passing etc. etc. Overall, an interesting buy for Gridiron groupies. 8000Plus |
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