[{"TitleName":"League Challenge","Publisher":"Atlantis Software Ltd","Author":"Nigel Edwards","YearOfRelease":"1988","ZxDbId":"0002841","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 38, Mar 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-26","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishers: Roger Kean, Oliver Frey, Franco Frey\r\nPublishing Executive/Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nSub Editor: Ciaran Brennan\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Lee Paddon, Hannah Smith\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Philippa Irving\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nContributing Writers: Jon Bates, Brendon Kavanagh, John Minson\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Gordon Druce\r\nIllustrators: Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: Seb Clare, Tim Croton, Mark Kendrick, Tony Lorton, Nick Orchard, Michael Parkinson, Cameron Pound, Jonathan Rignall, Matthew Uffindell\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nBookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1987 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Atlantis\r\nRetail Price: £1.99\r\nAuthor: Nigel Edwards\r\n\r\nOnce again it's your chance to manage your very own soccer team. League Challenge puts you in charge of a lowly Fourth Division club, and sets you the task of building them up into a powerful force in the world of football.\r\n\r\nPlay kicks off with the newly-installed manager naming his club. The computer then assigns a panel of 12 players, divided into three categories: defence, midfield and attack, each has a personal fitness level rated between one and nine.\r\n\r\nA season consists of 15 league matches, plus FA Cup fixtures. The computer then totals the skill levels of the chosen team, and adds up the total fitness of all players. It then displays the team's combined strength alongside the strength of the opposition. From these figures, the manager can work out if he still needs to strengthen the team.\r\n\r\nThe team's training schedule is chosen before each match. There are three different levels of training: Moderate; Vigorous and Intense. As their names suggest, these vary in effectiveness - consequently they also become progressively more expensive.\r\n\r\nSaturday's match follows the 'weekly' preparations, with the game displayed as an animated action sequence. During play, the manager can only sit tight in the dugout and wait for the verdict. The results of all the league matches are displayed, and the league table is worked out.\r\n\r\nAs team manager, the club's financial position is in your hands. Incurring debts of over £250,000 bankrupts a club, sending the team back to its starting position at the bottom of the league.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the season the top three clubs are promoted and the bottom three demoted - a cash bonus is awarded to the manager depending on the season's performance.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: menu format, using keys listed\r\nJoystick: n/a\r\nResponsiveness: not applicable\r\nUse of colour: effective for text highlighting, poor during 'match' sequences\r\nGraphics: poorly drawn matchstick-men footballers\r\nSound: minimal spot effects\r\nSkill levels: one\r\nScreens: ten","ReviewerComments":["This is a real step backwards for football management games. It has been several years since ADDICTIVE released their classic Football Manager, and still after all this time no-one has managed to improve on it. League Challenge is slow, unrealistic and very monotonous. There is nothing about it that even remotely impresses me. The 'action' is tedious, and the bits in between are pointless. I couldn't recommend this. Even at its low price it still offers bad value for money.\r\r\nBen Stone","As if the old Football Manager wasn't bad enough, ATLANTIS have come up with a sub-standard product that's even worse. The graphics don't really deserve the name - they are very simply drawn, inaccurate and unanimated. There are no new boundaries broken - it's just a case of progressing through a few menus and hoping that you'll win. Different team selections make little or no difference to the outcome of the matches. League Challenge holds little appeal - even for the most earnest football fan.\r\r\nPaul Sumner","League Challenge is boring. The only respite from the drab text-only screen displays are the completely awful match highlights. The characters are badly drawn, the animation is abysmal and the colour choice is even worse. As far as football manager games go, this one is very average, and certainly contains nothing new. Fans of the type might well find it reasonable (especially with its price tag of £1.99), but I think it's very poor.\r\nMike Dunn"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A frustatingly tedious football management simulation.","Page":"112","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ben Stone","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Paul Sumner","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Mike Dunn","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Fifth from the top after 11 games, will Cameron take his team to Division Three?"},{"Text":"Goalmouth action, as Cameron's Bulldozers take on Exeter."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"49%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"18%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"29%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"25%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"33%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"28%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 15, Mar 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-12","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nArt Editor: Caroline Clayton\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nAssistant Editor: Phil South\r\nStaff Writer: Markus Berkmann\r\nDesigner: Darrell King\r\nContributors: Luke C, Mike Gerrard, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tommy Nash, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Rachael Smith\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nManaging Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nPublisher: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1987 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Atlantis\n£1.99\nReviewer: Rick Robson\n\nEarwig-oh! Earwig-oh! Earwig-oh! Yep, footie fans, here comes another in this month's load of footie games. Can you take on the responsibilities of soccer managership and lead your team from the bottom of division four to the top of the league? This game'll put you to the test.\n\nIt's a cheap and cheerful cut-down version of more thorough (and expensive) management simulations. You must pick, train and field your best team, while at the same time coping with the transfer market, injuries to your players and the different skills of your opponents in defence, midfield and attack. A cinch, eh?\n\nThere are four divisions of sixteen clubs and you always start at the bottom of division four. You only have eleven players in you squad to begin with, so you'll have to start trading early in the transfer market to build up your numbers to the maximum of fifteen. Be careful that you don't plunge to more than £250,000 in the red, though, or you'll be relegated back to the bottom of division four.\n\nThe game goes through midweek transfers, training and the match itself. Here you have a chance before the game to change your team to counter your opponents strength. Once the match is over the other results come in and a new league table is given, so that you can see whether you've gone up or down.\n\nIt'd be churlish to chastise this cheapie as a cheapskate ripoff, but if you're really interested in the great game, maybe you'd be better off saving your money and going for the real thing!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"28","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rick Robson","Score":"6","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"6/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 60, Mar 1987","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writer: Jim Douglas\r\nDesigner: Gareth Jones\r\nAdventure Help: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nContributors: Chris Jenkins, Clare Edgeley\r\nHardware Correspondent: Rupert Goodwins\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Mike Corr\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Lee Sullivan\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. Please write Program Printout on the envelopes of all cassettes submitted. We cannot undertake to return cassettes unless an SAE is enclosed. We pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by PRS Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1987 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"Label: Atlantis\r\nAuthor: Nigel Edwards\r\nPrice: £1.99\r\nJoystick: none\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nAtlantis' League Challenge is not quite Football Manager at not quite £2.\r\n\r\nFour divisions with 16 teams in each, one cup competition and excruciatingly slow results sequences and league table compilations are evidence of the low rent nature of this game.\r\n\r\nThe latest manager signing on at the job centre is Orient's Brian Docherty. I chose him for League Challenge and Big Bri - as the East London club's fans had dubbed their cigar-smoking, champagne drinking manager - left his club languishing in the bottom four of the third division. Having spent lavishly on players and despite pulling Orient out of the fourth division he put the club into the red.\r\n\r\nYour managerial chores include, deciding on the team's training, buying and selling players, picking the team and cheering n' hollering: \"Save it\" or \"Score! I paid £90,000 for you, Rush you dodo,\" as the computer plays out the brief highlights of your games.\r\n\r\nNot too much to do and a season can really drag by, waiting for another game's results. The aim is to pack the team with skilful players and then whip them into shape by training and judicious resting, before matching defence, midfield and attack points against your rivals.\r\n\r\nThe computer weighs the odds heavily against you - even changing the rules(!) and some very bizarre tactics are needed to succeed.\r\n\r\n\"What about your allegation of cheating Brian?\"\r\n\r\n\"I can't comment as I am putting all the facts before the FA Committee but Bury fielded more than 11 players in their away game against Orient.\"\r\n\r\n\"And the sacking...?\"\r\n\r\n\"The players are, of course, over the moon.\"\r\n\r\n\"Was there no warning?\"\r\n\r\n\"Well Elton, I knew I was in trouble after the chairman's vote of confidence in me\"","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"There are better football manager games but it's probably tough to find one tougher. Only for the extremely patient.","Page":"86","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Terry Pratt","Score":"2","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"HINTS AND TIPS\r\n\r\nStar players often go to pieces at the end of a season so sell them before game 15.\r\n\r\nFor the same reason make your big signings early in a season.\r\n\r\nIf you're going to get whopped anyway, rest all the tired looking players. I often played with seven or eight men and still only lost by the odd goal."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"2/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 35, Mar 1987","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1987-02-19","Editor":"Bryan Ralph","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bryan Ralph\r\nAssistant Editor: Cliff Joseph\r\nConsultant Editor: Ray Elder\r\nAdvertising Manager: John McGarry\r\nDesign: Argus Design\r\nA.S.P. Advertising and Editorial [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Chase Web, [redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Copy Controller: Andy Selwood\r\n\r\nDistributed by: Argus Press Sales and Distribution Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing Monthly is published on the fourth Friday of each month. Subscription rates can be obtained from ZX Subscriptions, [redacted]\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication, including all articles, designs plans, drawings and other intellectual property rights herein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of the company.\r\n\r\nArgus Specialist Publications Limited. ©1987"},"MainText":"Atlantis Software\r\n£1.99\r\n\r\nThis game falls into the \"so bad it's good category\". It's a football manager type game, so if the lure of league tables and team selection problems holds no fascination, read no further.\r\n\r\nIf you've stayed on you can be initiated into the mysteries of a strange new game - \"Zombie Laserball\". When League Challenge attempts to capture the big match atmosphere we are treated to some very odd graphics indeed. Hulking shapes lumber across the pitch aimlessly like zombies but just when you think they are totally lifeless a laser beam darts out of one of the zombies boots and tries to zap the undead goalkeeper. He misses and it's a goal. These bizarre graphics decide your league and cup success.\r\n\r\nYou start off in the murky depths of Division 4 obscurity and by buying players, training hard and selecting a strong team, you hopefully rise to glory in the First Division.\r\n\r\nYour form can be decidedly quirky, surprise defeats followed by a run of victories after your players suddenly gains lots of stamina and fitness points for no apparent reason. League Challenge will certainly win no awards but if you can excuse the graphics, the time it will take to guide your team to the top will justify the budget price.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"38","Denied":false,"Award":"Globert","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"Good","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]