World Championship Soccer

World Championship Soccer is a top-down football game where you choose from 24 international teams to compete in a tournament identical to the 1990 FIFA World Cup . Before each match, you view each team's key attributes – Speed, Skill, Defence, and Keeper – rated from one to five stars . The action is viewed from directly overhead, with the screen scrolling in all directions . You always control the player closest to the ball, highlighted with an arrow . Pressing fire kicks in the direction your player is facing; holding the joystick determines ground or lofted pass . When the opponent has possession, pressing fire triggers a sliding tackle . There are no fouls or offside rules – tackling is completely unpunished . Matches run for 90 minutes with accelerated time, plus a full tournament mode .

ZX Spectrum

Released in 1991 by Elite Systems, a conversion of Sega's arcade coin-op originally titled World Cup Italia '90 . Requires a 128K Spectrum and supports Kempston joystick . The game includes a world map for team selection, player stats (Speed, Tackling Strength, Kicking Strength, Accuracy), and formation setup before kick-off . A side scanner shows player positions on the pitch. There is no redefine keys option – controls use the top row (6-0 for player 1, !-5 for player 2), a "hideously squashed arrangement" . Your Sinclair magazine gave 80%, praising the speed and two-player mode but criticising the monochrome green graphics which make teams hard to distinguish .