Subbuteo

Subbuteo for the Commodore 64 came out in the early 90s to cash in on the Subbuteo frenzy that swept the world. Hmmm, maybe not. Intentions were good but the game ends up being a tad disappointing. The biggest problem is that it takes way too long for the computer to make a decision ... which in many cases doesn’t seem to make any sense anyway. Also, the physics are not always what you would expect. Not a bad game but difficult to get into unless maybe you are a Subbuteo fanatic.


The computer is in blue and you are (actually, I am) in red. The video shows the reds having just recovered possession and getting ready to launch an attack on the blues.

When the computer attacks, you have the right to block (perform a defensive flick) after each contact he makes with the ball. When you attack, you have to make contact with the ball each time but you cannot use the same guy more than thrice (free-kick otherwise). You have the right to shoot only when the ball is inside the opponent’s shooting zone.

To select a player to flick, you just press the button, cycle through the players with the left-right directional pad and press again to lock in the selection. Then, you choose in which direction to aim and then ... you have the power/swerve issue to deal with. Power is pretty self-explanatory, swerving ... well, maybe not. If you press the button below the bar center mark, the player will go to the left and then come back to the right (exact opposite for above the mark). To be honest, the swerving requires some getting used to but it seems to be key to have any success in this game.

Not a big fan of the fact that you get a free-kick against if you wait too long before flicking. Dunno ... I like to take my time before making any decision (in general).