American Football

Copyright : Argus Press Software | Reviewed by : Ritchardo

Capturing all the thrills and spills of the Superbowl, American Football marks the first time that North America?s favourite sporting pastime is captured on the Amstrad.

The rugby for girls sport might not suit all tastes but Amsoft?s take concentrates on the tactical side of the sport rather than the physicality of it all.

So is it a Superbowl contender or the Denver Broncos?

American Football only works on the 464.

Graphics

A team of black matchstick figures battle it out against the yellow matchstick figures on a red and blue pitch that serves as a background. As you can probably tell from this description, American Football is no oil painting!

As this game is more of a tactical experience than a sport simulation, the display is geared more towards showing everything that is going on in detail rather than concentrate on flashy graphics.

And that?s pretty much it to be honest. Unremarkable, not at all flashy but perfectly functionable - the colour choice could?ve been much better though in my opinion.

Sound

Save for a few jingles to indicate a touchdown or intercepted pass, the only real sound effect is a beep to indicate it?s your turn to make a decision. Far from inspiring.

Gameplay

More an electronic version of paper, scissors and stone, American Football has eleven offensive plays that can be countered by four different types of defensive tactics. The results of these plays are calculated depending on the compatibility of the two options - A running pass option countered by a short defensive move will result in a massive gain for the attacking team and so on. Occasionally your men will fumble the ball or your quarterback will be sacked to help increase the realism of the game.

In depth knowledge of the sport is not necessary as gameplay simply boils down to choosing a two letter code and watching events unfold on screen.

That?s about all there is to it really. An amusing diversion in the short term and a decent attempt to bring some of the strategy of America?s favourite sport to the computer screen but it does suffer from a lack of real depth.