Kick Off 96

I never really was a big Kick Off fan. Call me particular, but I do prefer the old 'football-glued-to-foot' style of Soccer sim. I spent half my childhood trying not to dribble, so now is not the time to start. Anyway, this '96' edition of the perennial Anco boot 'em up stands more or less halfway between FIFA and last month's horribly dire Onside Soccer. It's not as good as the former, but light years ahead of the latter (mind you, so is stubbing your toe on a door frame), with crisp SVGA graphics adding to the fun. All in all, it's competent enough and mildly entertaining - but not a patch on either Sensi or Actua Soccer. Buy it only if the two leading soccer games on the market have been inexplicably discontinued, burnt in a warehouse fire, or abducted by fearsome aliens. Which, let's be honest, isn't really very likely.