[{"TitleName":"Match of the Day","Publisher":"Zeppelin Premier","Author":"David Sowerby, Gareth J. Briggs, John Carlyle","YearOfRelease":"1992","ZxDbId":"0003073","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 82, Oct 1992","Price":"£2.5","ReleaseDate":"1992-09-17","Editor":"Linda Barker","TotalPages":60,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"YOUR SINCLAIR\r\nABC 59,059\r\n\r\nEditor: Linda Barker\r\nArt Editor: Andy Ounsted\r\nStaff Writer: Jon Pillar\r\nEditorial Contributors: Craig Broadbent, Stuart Campbell, Dave Golder, Andy Hutchinson, Tim Kemp, Rich Pelley, Adam Waring\r\nArt Contributors: Phil McCardle, Anthony Colbert\r\nAdvertising Manager: Alison Morton\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Jackie Garford\r\nProduction Co-ordinator: Lisa Read\r\nProduction Technicians: Chris Stocker, Jerome Clough\r\nScanning: Simon Windsor, Jon Moore, Simon Chittenden\r\nPublisher: Colin Campbell\r\nPromotions Manager: Michelle Harris\r\nPromotions Assistant: Tamara Ward\r\nGroup Publisher: Greg Ingham\r\nCirculation Director: Sue Hartley\r\nAssistant Publisher: Julie Stuckes\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair. Future Publishing [redacted]\r\n\r\nManaging Director Chris Anderson\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: Future Publishing Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\n©Future Publishing 1992. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the permission of a Scottish Jimmy Hill fna. (Quite why you should want to reproduce any part of this mag is completely beyond us. But there you go).\r\n\r\nISSN 0269 6983\r\n\r\nYour Sinclair is nodded at, and occasionally talked to, by Commodore Format, Amstrad Action, Amiga Format, PCW Plus, PC Answers, PC Plus, Sega Power, Amiga Power, Amiga Shopper, Classic CD, Needlecraft, Cycling Plus, Photo Plus, Mountain Biking UK, PC Format, Public Domain, ST Format, Total! and Today's Vegetarian\r\n\r\nToday's tip - To make it look attractive, fill the bottom of the container with washed pebbles and wedge the vegetables between them."},"MainText":"Zeppelin Premier\r\n£10.99 cassette\r\n[redacted]\r\nReviewer: Jon Pillar\r\n\r\nHello readers. After last month's debacle with the Fumous Five completely taking over my review of Sleepwalke,. I've decided to make sure I appear in the review of Match Of The Day. To this end, I've asked Stuart to take Jimmy Hill off for a spot of lunch, and now, provided I can get this false chin into place (grunt) I'll be joining Des Lynam in the reviewing corner. There. Now don't give me away, will you, Spec-chums?\r\n\r\n(As seen on TV: Des Lynam's cheekily grinning face and the amazing chin of (ahem) Jimmy Hill. The theme music fades out.)\r\n\r\nHello there viewers. Hello Jimmy.\r\n\r\n(Tee hee!) Hello Des. Nice jumper.\r\n\r\nThanks Jimmy. So - Match Of The Day, the computer game. What's it all about?\r\n\r\nWell Des, I'd have to say it's pretty much a management sim really. You put on the knobbly cashmere coat of the manager of a fourth division team, and over the season have to hoist them up the ladder of success while avoiding the slippery snakes of failure.\r\n\r\nNicely put, Jimmy, if a little obscure and not entirely football-related. So we're\r\ntalking lots of lists of numbers, then?\r\n\r\nWe-ell, yes and no Des. Y'see, this management sim is actually rather well presented. The entire affair is icon-driven and daringly devoid of BASIC. There's the bare minimum of hanging around for 'Please Wait' messages. And the lists, as you put it, of numbers are rather nicely disguised with little graphics and pointers and things.\r\n\r\nAnd this is the game here, is it?\r\n\r\nNo Des, that's another jumper. Good try though. In fact, this is the game - it's entirely devoid of jumpery substances, such as wool, or 80% polyester. It does, however, have lots and lots of icons. It's rather a clever system, you see - you sort of drag the option you want from the icon bank on the right cite screen over to a free slot in your diary on the left.\r\n\r\nAnd are there any icons for jumpers?\r\n\r\nShut up Des. If you look at the annotated screenshot over there, you can see exactly what each icon does. But back to the game. Basically, it's very much like any other management sim - you try to put together the best side you can, arranging training sessions and buying and selling players, all the while juggling the club's books. What makes it stand out from the rest of the (incredibly large) pack is the slick presentation. Never has a management game looked so good. Except for the match highlights, which look like a badly-coloured game of pinball. And the pictures of, erm, us, which are a bit duff. I (ahem) look rather angry, and you look bald and mad. But at least you can turn the graphics off and play in the traditional manner,\r\n\r\nI have to say, Jimmy, that I disagree with you over the presentation being the only thing that makes the game stand out. The gameplay has lots of subtle touches. For example, your players are apt to get a bit shirty if you don't recognise their footy talents and insist on playing them in entirely the wrong positions, and their performance suffers as a result. For another, there are loads of scouts, physios and trainers, and the cheaper but less reputable chaps are apt to make a mess of things. Sort of gets you deeply involved with the team and adds a lot to the game.\r\n\r\nHang on, what's going on? That's not Des Lynam-speak.\r\n\r\nWell I have to admit, Jimbo. that I'm not Des Lynam at all. I am in fact, Rory Bremner, humorous impressionist, Speccy enthusiast and all-round family entertainer.\r\n\r\nErm, I've got a confession as well. I'm actually Jon from Your Sinclair. What a turn-up, eh? Tsk. And we need a big ending for the review. Tradition demands a sort of big payoff line to the whole thing. Oh, hello Stuart.\r\n\r\nI couldn't stand it any more, I just had to hit Jimmy Hill several times with a very big stick.\r\n\r\nYou scamp.\r\n\r\nThat'll do nicely.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Uppers: It's extremely well presented and very easy to get into. The gameplay delivers the requisite tonnes of options, and (gasp) it's a lot of fun.\r\n\r\nDowners: The highlights really are appalling. Despite the glossy front-end, novices may find the game a bit of a hard slog.\r\n\r\nIt's a management sim for the masses. And it's rather fine!","Page":"14,15","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jon Pillar","Score":"82","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"1. Select your team players.\r\n2. Visit the resident physio.\r\n3. Strike a cunning deal.\r\n4. Bring in the trainer! (Basically.)\r\n5. Do a little scouting (ie, spying).\r\n6. League matches this week.\r\n7. Those nasty old finances.\r\n8. The dread league table. (Eek!)\r\n9. The upcoming fixtures.\r\n10. Save/load your position.\r\n11. Match highlights on/off.\r\n12. Lots of credits for the game."},{"Text":"Those amazing match highlights in full. Ugh. What do you think of them, Des? 'Well, they don't feature many jumpers, that's for sure.' Thank you, Des. (Clot.)"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"82%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 134, Apr 1993","Price":"£2.5","ReleaseDate":"1993-03-18","Editor":"Alan Dykes","TotalPages":36,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Alan Dykes\r\nArt Editor: Sarah Pruce\r\nCoin Ops Editor: Ed Laurence\r\nSU Crew:\r\n Mr Hacking Squad: Garth Sumpter\r\n Mr Checkout: Steve Keen\r\n Reviews: Tony Kaye\r\n Mr Patrick Eggle and a few reviews: Philip Lindey\r\n Nigel Mansell's Best Mate: Tony Kaye\r\n Historic Games: Mark Patterson\r\n Reviews: Paul Davis\r\n Smart Comments: Tom Guise\r\n Mr Technical: Graham Mason aka Specman, Turbo etc\r\n Adventure: Pete Gerrard & The Sorceress\r\nAd Manager: Tina Zanelli\r\nMarketing:\r\n Product Manager: Sarah Ewing\r\n Marketing Assistant: Fiona 'Doh!' Malloch\r\n Publisher: Mike Frey\r\n Managing Director: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1992 EMAP IMAGES\r\nPart of EMAP PLC\r\nTel: [redacted]\r\nFax: [redacted]\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nColour by Colourtech\r\nPrinted by Riverside Press Gillingham\r\nTypeset by Altyp Inc\r\nBack Issues [redacted]\r\n\r\nAbsolutely no pert of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system or copied without the express written permission of the publisher. Sorry folks but this is it. Thanks for all your letters, all your support and all your compliments and complaints. Many, many thanks to Freda, without whom SU would have been frightfully boring. Well done Paul, Jim, Ken and the boys at Colourtech and all the people who have helped with this last issue. A final goodbye to Mark D. Richards who will, no doubt, be glad to see the back of us (NOT!) and Roland Richardson who has broken the record for writing to a magazine. Au Revoir!"},"MainText":"MATCH OF THE DAY\r\nLabel: Impulze\r\nMemory: 48/128K\r\nPrice: Tape £10.99 Disk £15.99\r\nReviewer: Mike Patterson\r\n\r\nNo, this isn't a Desmond Lynham simulator (although he is in the game), its a football management sim. Buy, sell and train players as you attempt to form a team capable of leaving the lower divisions and entering the dizzy heights of premier league-dom.\r\n\r\nRather than have a really dull 90 minutes of computer-simulated footy, you're shown your teams efforts in the form of highlights on Match Of The Day, where Jim Rosenthal, Des Lynham and Jimmy Hill pass comment. This makes for one of the best football management games in quite a while.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"18","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Patterson","Score":"88","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"88%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 127, Sep 1992","Price":"£2.2","ReleaseDate":"1992-08-18","Editor":"Alan Dykes","TotalPages":52,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Alan 'Boss Man' Dykes\r\nDesign: Yvette 'Bad Attitude' Nicholls\r\nSU Crew: Graham 'Turbo Man' Mason, Steve 'Mr Perfect' Keen, Pete 'The Undertaker' Gerrard, Garth 'The Snake' Sumpter, Paul 'Hoots Mon' Anglin\r\nSpecial Guest Star: Mark 'D' Richards (don't ask what the D stands for)\r\nAd Manager: Tina 'Mean Machine' Zanelli\r\nMr Marketing: Mark 'Lex Luger' Swallow\r\nMarketing Ladies: Sarah 'Clothes Line' Ewing, Sarah 'Suplex' Hilliard\r\nPublisher: Mike 'Ultimate Warrior' Frey\r\nManaging Director: Terry 'Mean Gene' Pratt\r\n\r\n(c)1992 EMAP IMAGES\r\nPart of EMAP PLC\r\nTel: [redacted]\r\nFax: [redacted]\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nColour by Colourtech\r\nPrinted by Kingfisher\r\nTypeset by Altyp Inc\r\n\r\nAbsolutely no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system or copied without the express permission of the publisher. Big Al would also appreciate it if you didn't use it as a fishbowl mat either 'cos fish don't have access to Spectrums and it's unfair to tempt them with the best Speccy mag in the world. That's life folks. Itchycopifot Stroomfatomar Dar. Cover Image ©King Features Syndicate. Supplied by Alternative Software. Summer's almost over folks, and it's back to school soon - Ha, Ha! Good luck and keep reading the mag, there's some real wonders coming in the run up to Christmas."},"MainText":"Label: Impulze\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nPrice: £10.99 Tape, £15.99 Disk\r\nReviewer: Paul Anglin\r\n\r\n\"Football is not a matter of life and death, it's more important than that!\" - Recognise that most famous of footy quotes? Well anyway, whether you're an aspiring Bill Shankly or not you can now strut your stuff against the best managers in the game to see just how much you know about running a club. Will you rise all the way to cup glory? Or will you become the holder of the spaccer central trophy?\r\n\r\nMatch Of The Day is not a football sim (honest) it's a management sim. Which suits me just fine 'cos I think they're much more fun (oh god, some one who likes football management sims at last! - Big Al). You are given control of a sad team languishing in division four (my real life fave's Barnet) with the job of transforming them into something really special.\r\n\r\nAs manager there are a number of different methods of doing this: Train your lads to a high pitch of readiness, buy new players (or cosh 'em over the head and kidnap them... not!), sell duff ones for cash or, if all else fails, just sit back in your leather reclining chair with your sheepskin coat on and hope. A lot.\r\n\r\nThe last option is attractive but doesn't really work. Also you can't buy players if you don't have any cash so you need to keep a close eye on your team's expenses. The only way to make money is to keep up your gate receipts, and the only way to do that is to put on a good performance. It's a proverbial vicious circle.\r\n\r\nWhen you think the squad is sufficiently trained and the dream squad is finally ready (or as close to it as possible) for the big game, you can select your finest team members and send them out onto the pitch to do battle.\r\n\r\nJim Rosenthal and Desmond Lynam present the game highlights to you, as you watch and cringe over your team's shortcomings with no direct control over them at all. After the game you're given the rest of the day's results and shown just where they leave you in the league placings. Now it's time to give your useless squaddies the abuse they deserve for the day's performance and it's back to business, training for the next match, scrounging players, listening to boring scouts (who actually look like boy scouts) and so on. It's all go as a footie manager isn't it?\r\n\r\nThe graphics used in the management part of the game are colourful but simple but then they don't need to be anything else. It's in the match highlights section where graphics really come into play. You're given an downward vertical view of the proceedings in true Kick Off style, and although the sprites are not exactly spectacular they do the job very well. Sound is really a bit of a non event but then it usually is in footy sims.\r\n\r\nPlayability, always an important factor in any game is perhaps even more relevant in management sims where shoddy of difficult features quickly lead to boredom.","ReviewerComments":["I don't particularly love football games, especially not management ones. They're too complicated, take a long time to play and aren't very rewarding. However match of the day is quite smart. It's simple, enjoyable and challenging and kept me at my Speccy for a lot longer than any other game of its genre.\r\nAlan Dykes"],"OverallSummary":"I adore management sims and this is a very good one. It's very user friendly icon wise, and one of the most challenging and rewarding sims I've ever played. Jimmy and Des look great too. Ohh! What a bonus!","Page":"28,29","Denied":false,"Award":"Sinclair User Gold","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Paul Anglin","Score":"90","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Alan Dykes","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Doesn't look much like Steve McManaman to me."},{"Text":"Jim and Des are ready, are you?"},{"Text":"Not much of a player really is he? Sell him."},{"Text":"Ohh! - And the keeper didn't get within a mile of it."},{"Text":"The boy scout tells you your chances. Are you sure you want to know?"},{"Text":"The players need more training."},{"Text":"Welcome to the great player shopathon."},{"Text":"Well claimed by the keeper."}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"FOOTY FACT\r\n\r\nLiverpool FC are arguably the most consistently successful club in British footballing history with eighteen league titles, five FA cups, four European cups, two UEFA cups and one league and cup double. And if anyone wants to argue about it come and see me."},{"Text":"THAT'S THE WAY\r\n\r\nAfter some extensive play I made it all the way to the top of division two! So I thought I might share my incredible foresight and wisdom with you. The first thing you should do is but a super scout, a top trainer and a fanatical physio. To do this just go to the transfer icon on the main menu.\r\n\r\nOnce you actually start it is important to get everything in the right sequence - first get you scot to view the other team, then select your team members and make sure everyone is playing in their allotted positions (if not you'll sometimes find goalies playing at centre forward!). Then train everyone and make sure they're fit. Now re-check your selection and start playing the game.\r\n\r\nWhen training try to get all your positions equally trained, until later stages when you may have to train some players more to exploit or defend against opposition strengths and weaknesses."},{"Text":"THINK ABOUT IT\r\n\r\nAs with most management sims, strategy is a very important part of play. It's all very well giving your team every kind of training under the sun and sending scouts out to search for top league performers but if it's all done in the wrong order the plan can backfire horribly. For example, you can send a scout off to look at new players to place in your team - that's what he's there for after all. But this must be done immediately as leaving it too late means he won't be able to find the right player in time for an important match."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"86%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"68%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"89%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"87%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"90%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]