TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL

 Since the first primitive creatures hauled themselves out of the primeval ooze,
one question has remained foremost in the collective mind of all sentient
species on this beleaguered planet:

 When is there going to be a truly great computer football game?

 Face it. There are lots of good baseball games, two splendid hockey games,
basketball, surfing, skiing, golf, car racing and sailing -- the list goes on
and on. But thus far there is no completely satisfying computer simulation of
football. Either the graphics are too blocky (or absent altogether), the action
too stiff, or the playbook too moronic.

 Into this breach has stepped Cinemaware, the same fine people who brought us
DEFENDER OF THE CROWN, THE THREE STOOGES, and ROCKET RANGER. As you would expect
on a graphics-oriented computer like the Amiga, TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL looks
splendid. The field is a lush green, the players resemble people (not blocks),
and the movement is smooth. There are amusing cut-scenes, a great shot of a
field goal/extra point attempt, and a victory shuffle by touchdown-scoring
players. (This review is based on the Amiga version; IBM-PC and Commodore 64/128
version notes follow.)

 So, is this the game we've been waiting for?

 Unfortunately, not. The players are too similar in appearance to give you a
feeling of individual movement, and you can only control one player on defense
(which seems highly inadequate). On offense, you control the quarterback until
he either passes the ball or hands off, which is more realistic. The running
game was fairly easy to learn, but the passing game was still frustratingly
difficult after over an hour of practice. This is not a game you can just pick
up and play. Like the real sport, it requires devotion. And you can't save a
game in progress in case the phone rings or nature calls. (You _can_ call a time
out, however, but just like the real game, you don't get very many per half.)

 There's some required reading, too: You must study the playbook in earnest. The
playbook features four different plays (and their mirror images) in either I,
Shotgun, or Pro Set formations. This gives you a total of twenty-four possible
plays, not including kicking. (I dare say there are a few NFL teams that don't
have as many in their repertoire.) On defense, again you can choose among a
variety of formations and strategies: blitz, pass defense, etc. All choices are
made using the joystick, and you have to be quick. If ten game-seconds go by
(and they're faster than real-time), the computer will pick a play for you. In
fact, it will run the play for you if you don't take control. And before you
think that may be a blessing, I have to tell you that I did much better in terms
of total first downs than the computer acting alone, although it was a much
better passer.

 TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL features full league play, in which you can have friends
participate as team owners: They're allowed to customize one of twenty-eight
teams to meet their particular ideas of what the dream lineup would be. You can
play one-on-one, one or two players actively against the computer, or you can
just sit back and let the program handle everything. In league play, you receive
periodic updates on how the other teams are doing elsewhere. There are crowd
noises, half-time reports from a John Madden clone, and even sponsors.

 While this game doesn't fill the need for the perfect football simulation, it's
nevertheless a valiant effort.

 IBM-PC VERSION NOTES

 Amiga users may be clamoring for a truly great computer sports simulation, but
no more so than IBM owners. Unfortunately, the IBM version of TV SPORTS:
FOOTBALL also fails to deliver. While the review of the Amiga version describes
the graphics as "splendid" and "lush" with "smooth" animation, the IBM version
(EGA was used for these notes) can only be described as acceptable or typical --
by no means superior.

 The animation is somewhat choppy, and the user-controlled player has an
annoying habit of blinking the same color as the opposing team, making it very
difficult to see who you are controlling when the crowd closes in. The same
control problems experienced by Amiga users are present in the IBM version,
which can be controlled by either the keyboard or joystick(s).

 The digitized speech and sound effects are quite good; however, they are used
sparingly. We hear an overabundance of "Hut"s, and an occasional "Touchdown" or
"It's good!" Oddly, when the host of TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL is present at the
beginning of the game and at halftime, there's no speech. He moves his mouth and
subtitles appear below his picture.

 On the plus side, the manual is very well written, providing an excellent
overview and primer on the game of football, along with an IBM-specific player's
guide. The game is not copy-protected in any way.

 TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL runs on IBM-PC/XT/ATs and 100% compatibles. However, it
will not run on any IBM PS/2 model. Only EGA and VGA graphic modes are
supported. Cinemaware also recommends that a turbo XT or faster machine be used.
For these notes, I used a 12 MHz 80286-based AT with EGA; the time between the
view of the field and the snap of the ball seemed interminable. One can imagine
the frustration when using a 10 MHz XT.

 There is one thing missing that, to me, is totally unacceptable: the ability to
exit to DOS from the game! Once you're playing, you must reboot your computer to
return to DOS. The documentation indicates no way to exit, and none of the
standard conventions (Escape, Control-Break, End, Control-Q, Control-X, etc.)
seems to work. If there's a hidden means of exiting, it's very well hidden.

 Perhaps subsequent releases of TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL (if any) will fill in the
gaps and smooth out the clunks in the user interface. But for the time being, it
might be advisable to look elsewhere for the ultimate football simulation.

 COMMODORE 64/128 VERSION NOTES

 On the basis of the preceding Amiga review and IBM version notes, it seems that
the Commodore 64/128 version of Cinemaware's TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL is the best of
the lot, despite a few missing features. FOOTBALL looks great on the C64, and
its joystick control worked reasonably well. Two areas -- exiting from a game
and playcalling -- need to be revamped. Although there's plenty of disk access,
the software-based V-Max! fastloader handily takes up slack time.

 The Teammates option (two human players against the computer), individual
player and team statistics, and fumbles did not make it into this conversion.
While the Teammates option surely would have been fun, I didn't at all miss the
statistics feature: FOOTBALL is graphics-oriented, so who wants to be messing
around with numbers? As for fumbles, well sure, the game is less realistic
without them, but when it's late in the game and your team's really chewing up
the Astroturf, a fumble is one less drive-killer to worry about. Besides, since
passing is very tough to master, interceptions and incompletions more than make
up for the lack of fumbles.

 Game graphics and animation are very good, as are the point after touchdown,
coin toss, and TV announcer screens (all of which are sponsored by "ZZZ, The
Last Word in Phone Books"). Sound effects are minimal. Like real football, TV
SPORTS: FOOTBALL is complex, and in this regard, Practice mode is exceptionally
useful: There are no penalties or time limits, it's always first down, and you
can take all day to work on passing, which demands as much.

 Two problems marred FOOTBALL. You can exit from a Practice session, but when a
game, either Exhibition or League, is being played, there is no way to stop it
-- the three timeouts per game half only pause the action -- except to turn off
the machine. If you're getting slaughtered and it's only the first quarter, you
either have to watch it, or take your football and go home.

 The Playcalling screen is complete and understandable, but it has a nasty habit
of picking offensive and defensive plays on its own. No joystick input tells the
program to select a play -- which, according to the Player's Guide, should not
happen for fifteen seconds. Play selection is a two-step process: The first
diagonal stick move selects a formation; the second diagonal stick move not only
selects the play, it pushes you onto the field with no chance (except as an
audible) to change your mind. Technically, unless there is no joystick input,
the program isn't actually picking plays. But it sure feels like it.

 The TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL package for the C64 comes with one double-sided disk
that's copy-protected, C64/128 Player's Guide, and a manual that's empty of
instructions but filled with football. In order to keep track of edited teams
and the results of Cinemaware Football League games, you'll need a formatted
disk.

 TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL looks great on the Commodore and, for the most part, plays
well. It seems to have turned out slightly better (if incomplete) in this
version than when it was originally conceived -- which isn't saying much. As
Paul Grant pointed out in his IBM notes, perhaps revampings will iron out the
wrinkles in later versions. In the meantime, Data East's MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
does it all a lot better.

 TV SPORTS: FOOTBALL is published by Cinemaware and distributed by Electronic
Arts.

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